White House restores legal status of child with life-threatening illness

In response to a public outcry, the Trump administration has changed its mind about revoking the legal status of a four-year-old girl and her family. The girl, identified as Sofia, has been receiving life-saving treatment in the US for a rare medical condition since 2023. The government had initially terminated their humanitarian parole, a temporary status granted for urgent humanitarian reasons, and ordered them to leave the country.

Sofia’s doctors warned that she could die within days if forced to return to Mexico, leading her family and lawyers to challenge the deportation order as both unlawful and contradictory to the nation’s values. This case drew attention to the administration’s deportation policies and drew criticism from Democratic lawmakers, including Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla of California, who urged the Department of Homeland Security to reconsider the family’s legal status.

After significant pressure, the administration restored the family’s legal status, granting them Humanitarian Parole for one year starting on June 2, 2025.