Mexican boy secreted by mother into U.S. for cancer treatment dies

By Betsy Blaney
Associated Press
Feb. 27, 2007 07:35 AM

LUBBOCK, Texas - An 8-year-old Mexican boy whose mother illegally brought him into the U.S. for cancer treatment and then struggled with immigration laws has died, officials said.

Months after being deported to Juarez, Mexico, Luis Carranza's mother was permitted to return to the U.S. to be with her son until his death Thursday at his grandparents' home in El Paso, Child Protective Services officials said.

Protective services and the mother had shared custody of Luis.

I grieve for this mother's loss. She broke the law by entering illegally without regard to the reason. However, this does illustrate that we, the US, must do a better job of handling and expediting requests for visas, etc. There are legitimate reasons for coming to the US, but the bureaucracy is so snarled and backlogged as to make such requests vain and an exercise in futility. Congress must do a better job at managing our government. -mm