After outcry, 4-year-old girl can stay in U.S. for lifesaving care
Deysi Vargas’s 4-year-old daughter was fussy on Wednesday as she carried her into their Bakersfield, California, home after a dental procedure. In a few hours, Vargas would have to prepare the girl’s next feeding — washing her hands thoroughly, measuring formula and flushing her daughter’s gastric tube.
It was a routine Vargas had perfected through fear. Missing even one step could mean disaster, she said. But for the first time in months, she felt like she could finally breathe.
Vargas and her family, who hail from Mexico, could stay in the United States, the only country where her daughter can receive the complex and specialized treatment that keeps her alive. The girl has short bowel syndrome, a condition where the body cannot absorb enough nutrients from food.
The relief that washed over Vargas had come after nearly two excruciating months, she said. In April, the government had abruptly revoked the family’s humanitarian parole without giving them a reason. The move triggered swift international outrage and prompted 38 Democratic members of Congress to send a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem urging her to reverse the decision.
https://wapo.st/4mQOwgN
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