Washington, D.C. — Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) will host Fernando Hernández García* as his guest for the State of the Union, elevating the story of a 10 year old U.S. citizen with rare brain cancer who was deported while seeking urgent medical care.
Fernando, a United States citizen, was just 17 years old when his family was torn apart during a medical emergency. His younger sister, Sara*, was only 10 years old and battling a rare and life threatening form of brain cancer when she was detained and deported while the family was traveling in search of specialized treatment. Instead of receiving the care she needs in the United States, Sara has been forced to continue her fight for survival from Mexico, where critical medications and specialized care remain impossible to access.
Left alone in the United States, Fernando completed high school while working in the fast food industry to support himself, maintain the family home, and help cover the cost of his sister’s life saving medication.
In March 2025, the Texas Civil Rights Project (TCRP) filed a Civil Rights and Civil Liberties complaint with the Department of Homeland Security on behalf of the Hernández family. Weeks later, the DHS CRCL division was gutted thanks to Republicans. In early April 2025, TCRP filed a complaint with the DHS Office of Inspector General, but has received no response to date.
In May 2025, Chair Espaillat led a Congressional Hispanic Caucus delegation to Monterrey, Mexico, to meet directly with the Hernández family and witness firsthand the devastating impact of Sara’s deportation.
In June 2025, TCRP, in partnership with a local immigration attorney, filed humanitarian parole applications for Fernando’s parents and his Mexican national sister. As of February 2026, those applications remain pending.
“The situation has been a nightmare that I can’t wake up from, that my family can’t wake up from. My baby sister needs to see her doctors: but she needs to get care alongside her family. I need my family to come home. I’m 18 years old, I still need the support of my parents, I need to be around for my siblings. I’ve been dreaming of going to college or trade school, but that isn’t something I can do without my support system- both financially or emotionally.
You can say all you want that these awful immigration policies don’t impact US citizens, but that’s a lie. My family was torn apart from me, and my future along with them. If my parents were still here, they would have pushed me to go to college, to dream big, and they would have helped me make it happen. Now, I don’t even have time to think about that. My baby sister could die as a result of this.
I need my family to come home: save my sister’s life, end this nightmare for me and for all the other families like mine, who just want to live an honest life and work hard for a better future,” said Fernando Hernández García.
Fernando’s presence at the State of the Union underscores the urgent need for humane, common sense immigration solutions that protect U.S. citizen children and families facing medical crises.
*Aliases are used to protect the Hernández family’s safety in Mexico.
About the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC)
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is over 42 members strong. The CHC serves as a forum for the Hispanic Members of Congress to coalesce around a collective legislative agenda. The Caucus is dedicated to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. For more information, please visit chc.house.gov.