A U.S. citizen child recovering from brain cancer, along with her undocumented parents, has been deported to Mexico. The Texas family was reportedly en route to an urgent medical appointment when they were apprehended at an immigration checkpoint.
As of March 13, 2025, the family is seeking a means to return to the United States to continue treatment for their 10-year-old daughter, a U.S. citizen diagnosed with brain cancer.
On February 4, immigration authorities expelled the girl and four of her American siblings from Texas, following the deportation of their undocumented parents. The family’s challenges began last month while they were hastily traveling from their home in Rio Grande to Houston for an emergency consultation with their daughter’s specialist doctors.
According to Danny Woodward, an attorney representing the family from the Texas Civil Rights Project, a legal advocacy organization, the parents had successfully made this trip at least five times previously, passing through immigration checkpoints without complications. They had presented letters from medical professionals and attorneys during past encounters, which facilitated their passage.
However, in early February, those letters proved insufficient. At the checkpoint, the family was detained after the parents could not provide legal immigration documentation. The mother recounted her attempts to communicate her daughter’s medical needs to the officers, but stated that “they weren’t interested in hearing that.”
Woodward emphasized that, aside from lacking valid immigration status, the parents possess no criminal records.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which was responsible for detaining and deporting the family, declined to comment on individual cases due to privacy regulations.
The 10-year-old girl was diagnosed with brain cancer last year and underwent surgery to remove a tumor. Her mother expressed gratitude for her daughter’s survival, stating that doctors had given little hope for her recovery. Despite this, the girl continues to experience complications such as swelling in her brain that affects her speech and mobility. Before the family’s deportation, she was receiving regular medical care and rehabilitation therapy in the U.S.
“It’s an incredibly challenging situation,” the mother remarked. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”
Rochelle Garza, president of the Texas Civil Rights Project, described the family’s plight as a tragedy that reflects a broader issue affecting many mixed-status families. She noted that this case exemplifies a troubling pattern observed during the Trump administration regarding family deportations.
Tom Homan, a former official in the Trump administration overseeing immigration enforcement, asserted that families could be deported collectively regardless of immigration status. He indicated that it was ultimately up to parents to choose whether to leave the U.S. together or leave their children behind.
However, undocumented parents risk losing custody of their U.S.-born children if detained by immigration authorities. Without appropriate documentation assigning guardianship, these children may be placed in the U.S. foster care system, complicating efforts for their parents to regain custody.
The girl’s mother expressed feelings of helplessness in Spanish, stating that she felt caught in an impossible situation. NBC News is withholding their names due to safety concerns related to their deportation to a region in Mexico known for kidnapping U.S. citizens.
In addition to the sick child, four other children—ages 15, 13, 8, and 6—were present in the vehicle during the detention. Four of these children are U.S. citizens.
After their arrest, the family was taken to a detention center where the mother and daughters were separated from the father and sons. She soon realized that she would not be able to take her daughter for her medical appointments.
“The fear is overwhelming,” she recounted. “It’s frustrating and heartbreaking—something no one should ever have to endure.” She described how her daughter lay on a cold floor beneath harsh lights during their detention.
Subsequently, hours later, they were transported in a van and left on the Mexican side of a Texas bridge. They sought refuge in a nearby shelter for a week before moving into a house; however, ongoing safety concerns have prevented the children from attending school.
The mother reported that both her 10-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son—who suffers from Long QT syndrome—have not received necessary healthcare in Mexico since their deportation. The son requires monitoring for his heart condition.
“The authorities have my children’s lives in their hands,” she lamented tearfully.
Both parents entered the U.S. from Mexico in 2013 with aspirations for a better life for their family. They worked various jobs to support their six children, including a 17-year-old son who remains in Texas after their deportation.
Recently, another undocumented mother in California caring for her 21-year-old daughter—a U.S. citizen undergoing treatment for bone cancer—was also detained by immigration authorities but later released under humanitarian parole.
Garza called upon the government to allow this family to return and rectify the harm caused by their deportation, urging that such situations should not be repeated with other families.
