A deaf 6-year-old boy snatched by immigration agents from Northern California and sent to Colombia this month needs to be immediately returned to the United States or he could die, a lawyer representing the child said Wednesday.
Lawyer Nicolas de Braemaker said the boy, Joseph Lodano Rodriguez, “was at risk every day because he was not receiving his treatment.” The child has cochlear implants that require the same regular maintenance and cleaning he was getting in the states but cannot get in Colombia.
“Joseph’s life is in grave danger if he does not continue his treatment in the United States,” De Braemaker said at a virtual news conference hosted by California police superintendent De Bremaeker. Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
“She’s at risk of infection, she’s at risk of meningitis, she’s at risk of death if her surgical implants aren’t properly cared for.”
Joseph, his 28-year-old mother, Leslie Rodriguez Gutierrez, and another 5-year-old son were detained by federal agents while attending an immigration meeting on March 3 and deported shortly afterward.
Rodriguez Gutierrez traveled to the United States in 2022 seeking refuge from domestic violence and stayed in Hayward. Before the March 3 meeting she was told she needed to bring her two children for regular check-ins to update the photos they had with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Shortly after arriving, ICE agents tried to force him to sign a document without explanation, and then pushed the family into a vehicle and drove him to a remote detention facility,” De Bremaker previously told The Times.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions sent after office hours Wednesday, but has consistently said Rodriguez Gutierrez was “an illegal alien from Colombia” who “illegally entered the United States in 2022.”
According to DHS, he was issued a removal order on November 25, 2024.
Thurmond, the superintendent, called on the public to lobby Congress and the Trump administration to “return Joseph so he can continue his education.”
Thurmond showed a 40-second clip of Joseph and his family at the Columbian Facility for the Deaf.
The child appeared to be struggling to communicate with his siblings and mother, while his brother repeatedly tried to give him directions in Spanish, but to no avail.
Joseph’s only language is American Sign Language, Thurmond said. Joseph was attending the state-funded Fremont California School for the Deaf.
“Joseph is struggling,” Thurmond said. “He doesn’t have the ability to communicate with anyone and in many ways, he can barely communicate with his mother. Like Joseph’s mother, Leslie was just beginning to learn American Sign Language.”
Both senators from California Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff – State Democratic congressmen Eric Swalwell, Nanette Barragan, Zoe Lofgren, Kevin Mullin, and Latifah Simon called for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to investigate the deportations.
The group is also calling on both government agencies to return the family to the US through the process of humanitarian parole. The move will allow Joseph to re-enroll in school and receive specialized care.
Selena Ponce, founder of Hands United, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting deaf immigrant children and families, said her group is trying to connect families with the deaf community in Colombia and services such as interpreters.
However, he said Joseph and his family face many challenges. If he lives in Colombia, the first hurdle is that he and his mother have to learn Colombian Sign Language, which is different from American Sign Language.
Ponce said Joseph also suffered from a language deficit, meaning he heard slower than other 6-year-olds.
“Since Colombia doesn’t have the same residential schools as California, the ability to be fully immersed in the language doesn’t exist,” he said.
He said whatever profit he made at the California School for the Deaf would likely be lost.
Times staff writers Clara Harter and Christopher Buchanan contributed to this report.
