US to Deport Undocumented Father Whose 5-Year-Old Son is Battling Cancer

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, is planning to deport an undocumented Mexican immigrant whose five-year-old son is currently undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia.

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Jesus Berrones, 30, who lives in Arizona with his pregnant wife and five children, is the sole breadwinner of his family. He was first granted an extension to continue his stay in 2016 to tend to his family and son who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment. He re-filed for an extension under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, but was told that he was no longer a deportation priority.

Last month, he received a deportation notice.

"He’s a hard-working man," Sonia, Berrones' wife, told HuffPost on Friday in tears. “We’re scared. The kids will ask me: ‘Where’s Daddy?’"

Sonia is a registered U.S. citizen.

Berrones has been living in the United States since 1989. He was brought to the country when he was just a year and a half old.

In 2016, Berrones was deported to Mexico after he was caught driving using a fake license. Since then, he has re-entered the U.S. twice to join his family. 

Berrones has been asked to appear in court on Monday to hear his deportation sentence, according to Berrones' lawyer, Garrett Wilkes. 

Berrones is currently taking shelter at Shadow Rock United Church of Christ in Phoenix. 

There's also a growing concern that the immigrants' rights groups are being targeted by ICE in an effort to stifle political dissent. 

Ravi Ragbir, an immigration rights activist along with several community organizations, have filed a First Amendment lawsuit against ICE to stop targeting immigrant rights activists.

"Like so many people who are living in this country under the threat of deportation, I know how important it is to raise our voices against the injustices in the system," Ragbir said in a statement.

"This lawsuit is not just about me, it is about all of the members of our community who are speaking out in our struggle for immigrant rights."

Ragbir was recently granted a temporary stay of deportation.