Mother of Deported American Child Who Had Brain Tumor Removed Pleads To Be Allowed To Return: 'She's Gone Through Enough Suffering'

The mother of an American girl who was deported along with her family shortly after having a brain tumor removed is pleading to be allowed to return to the U.S., saying her daughter needs follow-up treatment there.

The woman, whose identity has not been revealed, told NBC News that treatment in Texas is "what keeps her safe." The girl and her parents, both undocumented migrants, were deported in February while traveling to an emergency checkup.

The family was heading to Houston from the Rio Grande valley when they were stopped at an immigration checkpoint. The woman said law enforcement officers "weren't interested" in the situation or the paperwork from doctors and lawyers they tried to show them.

The young girl has been attending routine checkups as she recovers from having her brain tumor removed in 2024. She has also been taking medication to prevent convulsions and undergoing rehabilitation therapies, both of which she has been unable to receive since her family was relocated to Mexico.

"This time we were stopped and face the worst decision, an impossible decision, to be permanently separated from our children or be deported together," the woman recalled.

The family said they were separated by gender at the detention center, and the young girl was forced to lay on a cold floor before the family was dropped off in Mexico. They then spent a week in a shelter before finding permanent housing.

Now the woman is calling for U.S. officials to allow them to return: "We call on U.S. elected officials to help us return so our little girl keeps on getting the medical attention she needs."

The couple's 15-year-old son also lives with Long QT syndrome, a heart disorder that caused irregular heartbeats and can be life-threatening if not treated. Although the boy wears a monitor to track his heart rate, he, like his sister, has been unable to receive health care in Mexico.

A Customs and Border Protection told NBC in an email that reports about the family's situation are "inexact" but that "when someone is given an accelerated expulsion order and ignores them, they face the consequences of the process." The spokesperson added that more information could not be provided due to privacy issues.