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Deported deaf Hayward boy "wants to come back."
Attorneys, CA State Superintendent Tony Thurmond, Congressman Eric Swalwell, and other lawmakers say they are filing petitions and sending letters to the Dept. of Homeland Security, claiming ICE broke the law by deporting a 6-year-old deaf boy, his mother, and brother, without the hearing devices he needs or giving them due process in their application for asylum.
Hayward, CA - New efforts are underway to bring a 6-year-old boy who is deaf back to the Bay Area after he, his mother, and younger brother were suddenly deported to Colombia.
During a video conference on Thursday, 6-year-old Joseph Rodriguez saw his teacher from the California School for the Deaf in Fremont and formed a heart shape with his hands in American Sign Language, telling school staff he wants to return.
"Joseph had the opportunity to speak with one of his teachers, and it certainly seemed to lift his spirits. We saw a bright smile," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. "Joseph said, ‘I want to come back to school.’ Let’s make this possible."
Swalwell staffer flies to Colombia to give hearing aid to deported deaf boy
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell on Monday held a press conference to say that a member of his staff flew to Colombia to bring a hearing aid for a six-year-old deaf son of a mother who was not allowed to bring the device to her home country when federal officials removed the family from the country last week.
Joseph, his mother, Lesly Ramirez Gutierrez, and his 4-year-old brother had been living in Hayward. They were deported last week after Ramirez Gutierrez went to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in San Francisco to submit a new photo, officials said.
Thurmond said he has submitted a letter to the Department of Homeland Security requesting that Joseph and his family be allowed to return to California.
School community in shock
What they're saying:
Amy Novotny, superintendent of the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, said through a sign language interpreter that the deportation has shaken the school community.
"Joseph is funny, friendly and well-liked by his peers," Novotny said. "Our community here really feels for all of our students. Our students are very important to us. When there’s an impact on one, it impacts us all."
The family’s attorney said Joseph, his brother, and their mother are heartbroken.
Nikolas De Bremaeker said he filed a humanitarian parole petition at 2:30 a.m. Thursday.
He said Ramirez Gutierrez fled Colombia in 2022 to escape gender-based violence. A relative said her former partner was a gang member and that she feared for her family’s safety.
Health concerns
Dig deeper:
The attorney said the family faces danger in Colombia and that Joseph’s health is at risk.
"Because of his cochlear implants, if he doesn’t get the treatment he needs, doctors say he’s at risk of infection, meningitis and death," De Bremaeker said.
The Department of Homeland Security said Ramirez Gutierrez received a removal order from an immigration judge in November 2026.
Her attorney said the family is still pursuing asylum and other forms of relief.
"While there was a removal order, there are other relief measures available to the family, and there were also issues around Joseph’s health that were unaddressed," De Bremaeker said.