A 10-Year-Old U.S. Citizen With Brain Cancer and Her Family Were Deported While People From the U.S. Cross for Medical Tourism Without Issues — Where’s the Outrage? 

A 10-year-old U.S. citizen battling brain cancer is stuck in Mexico, ripped away from the treatment keeping her alive. Immigration authorities deported her undocumented parents on February 4, forcing the child and her four American siblings out of Texas, leaving their health and safety in jeopardy. 

The family had been making regular trips from Rio Grande City to Houston, where the girl’s specialists are based. They had passed through an immigration checkpoint before without trouble, presenting letters from doctors and lawyers explaining their urgent medical needs. This time, the letters were ignored. Officers arrested the parents, indifferent to the family’s pleas. 

The father and mother, who have no criminal record, were detained and later expelled to Mexico. U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined to discuss the case, citing privacy concerns. According to NBC, officials later stated that individuals who defy deportation orders must face the consequences. 

A Child Battling Brain Cancer and No Help in Sight

The girl was diagnosed with brain cancer last year and underwent surgery. Doctors offered little hope, but she survived against the odds. Her recovery required ongoing medical attention, rehabilitation, and medication to prevent seizures. Without access to care, her condition could worsen. 

Now stranded in Mexico, she struggles with speech and mobility. Her 15-year-old brother, who suffers from Long QT syndrome, a heart disorder that can be fatal if untreated, also lacks medical supervision. Their mother, speaking through tears, said the U.S. government holds her children’s lives in its hands. 

Fear and Uncertainty in an Unfamiliar Place

The family was detained and separated after their arrest. The mother and daughters were placed in one section of the detention center, the father and sons in another. The sick child lay on a cold floor under harsh lights, her mother helpless to comfort her. 

Hours later, officials put them in a van, drove them to a Texas bridge, and left them on the Mexican side. They spent a week in a shelter before finding a place to live. Fear grips them every night. The children have not attended school, and medical care is out of reach. 

The Hypocrisy of Medical Tourism

Every year, thousands of U.S. citizens—many of whom are not Latino—cross the border into Mexico for medical procedures. Some seek life-saving treatments, others go for cosmetic surgeries or dental work. Tijuana is one of the most popular destinations, offering procedures at a fraction of the cost of U.S. healthcare. Many even claim the care is superior. No one stops them. No one sends them back. The same system that allows people from the U.S. to cross into Mexico for medical care without question refuses to let a sick child stay in the U.S. to receive life-saving treatment. 

A Plea for Help

The parents came to the U.S. in 2013, chasing the same dream that brings many — safety, stability, and a future for their children. They worked tirelessly to support their six kids. Their oldest, 17, was left behind in Texas. 

Now, they are fighting to return, not for themselves, but for the survival of their children. Their lawyer and advocates are calling on the U.S. government to grant them parole and reunite them with the medical care they urgently need. For now, the family waits, caught between borders, running out of time.