Deported 6-year-old deaf boy could die in Colombia without medical attention, his attorney says

"Joseph is at immense risk for his life if he does not continue the treatment that he was receiving in the United States. He is at risk of infection, he is at risk of meningitis, he is at risk of death if he is not given the proper care for his surgical implants."

"The child has a cochlear implant that requires the same routine maintenance and cleaning he was receiving stateside but may not get in Colombia. Joseph is at risk every day that he is not getting his treatments."

"Joseph, his 28-year-old mother, Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, and another son, 5, were detained by federal agents on March 3 while attending an immigration meeting and deported shortly after. Rodriguez Gutierrez traveled to the United States in 2022 seeking asylum from domestic violence and lived in Hayward."

Joseph Lodano Rodriguez, a deaf 6-year-old, was detained and deported to Colombia by immigration agents on March 3 along with his mother and younger brother. The child depends on a cochlear implant requiring regular maintenance and cleaning for proper function. His attorney warns that without continued medical care available in the United States, Joseph faces severe health risks including infection, meningitis, and potential death. The family was detained during what they believed was a routine immigration check-in appointment. The mother, Lesly Rodriguez Gutierrez, had sought asylum in 2022 fleeing domestic violence and was living in Hayward, California.

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