Federal officials have allowed a Gwinnett County father to stay in the United States for another year to take care of his sick daughter, Channel 2 Action News reported.
Juan Carlos Paez, 44, of Norcross, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month and was expected to be deported to Central America, Channel 2 reported.
At the time, Paez’s wife, Olivia Garcia, said if he left, she would have had no way to care for their daughter, Naylea, who has Proteus syndrome, a rare condition that causes organs to asymmetrically overgrow.
Naylea can’t walk, talk or feed herself and needs fulltime care, Channel 2 reported. Doctors told the family the only treatment for Naylea is in the U.S. She was recently in the hospital for treatment.
“She is (home), but she is stable,” Olivia Garcia told Channel 2 through a translator.
Paez was expected to leave June 20, but the family’s attorney, Joyce Booth, said they presented additional documents to federal agents to show the family would suffer without Paez.
Once the year is over, Paez will have to apply to stay in the U.S.
“They approved one year, but they give us a lot of hope,” Olivia Garcia said.
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