Congresswoman Luz Rivas Follow Up Statement on Previous Letter Demanding Four-Year-Old Bakersfield Girl be Granted Humanitarian Parole
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Luz Rivas (CA-29) released the following statement after S.G.V., a four-year-old Bakersfield girl with a rare medical condition, and her family have been granted Humanitarian Parole for one year by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), allowing her to continue receiving lifesaving treatment in the United States and saving them from deportation. This decision comes after Congresswoman Rivas led her colleagues in urging DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to reconsider her decision.
“This four-year-old girl and her family should have never been caught in the middle of this literal life or death situation to begin with,” said Congresswoman Rivas. “Deporting this girl and her family, and separating her from critical lifesaving care would have been fatal. I am thankful to my colleagues for joining me in urging Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to reverse her decision and keep this family in the United States to receive care. This situation is a prime example of the Trump Administration being unfit, unprepared, and unqualified to handle immigration policy decisions with empathy and compassion. No one should have to go through what this Administration just put this family through. We can, and must, do better to take care of our most vulnerable and defenseless.”
Background:
On May 29, Congresswoman Luz Rivas led 35 of her House colleagues, and California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, in urging Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to reconsider the termination of the legal status of S.G.V. and her family. S.G.V. is a four-year-old girl from Bakersfield living with short bowel syndrome who is facing deportation and could die if she loses medical care at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. S.G.V. and her family’s story was highlighted in a May 27 Los Angeles Times article.
A full copy of the letter can be found here.
Congresswoman Rivas’ letter was co-led with Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove and was signed by California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff and Representatives Nanette Barragán, Julia Brownley, Salud Carbajal, Greg Casar, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, Gilbert Cisneros, Adriano Espaillat, Jim Costa, Veronica Escobar, Laura Friedman, Jesús "Chuy" García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Pramila Jayapal, Teresa Leger Fernandez, Ted Lieu, Seth Magaziner, Robert Menendez, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Linda Sánchez, Lateefah Simon, Darren Soto, Jill Tokuda, Norma Torres, Derek Tran, Juan Vargas, Gabe Vasquez, Nydia Velázquez, and Eugene Vindman.
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