LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Sheila Ifi didn't intend to have her baby in the United States.
She was visiting Las Vegas on vacation nine years ago when she gave birth to Judah, a premature little boy who weighed just 1 pound, 12 ounces.
WATCH | Judah's mother shares her story with Steve Sebelius
Judah spent his first five months in the neo-natal intensive care unit, and has battled chronic health conditions including seizures, cerebral palsy, lung disease and sepsis. He can't stand, speak or walk on his own, and needs help being fed, a process that takes about an hour.
"His level of function is basically at 3 months old," says Ifi. "He still depends on us for practically everything."
Ifi has given up a lot to care for Judah. Her husband, George, came to the U.S to help on temporary visas, until he was denied a return visit, which meant they had to live apart for years.
George eventually got permission to come and help take care of Judah.
She hasn't seen her family in Nigeria in years, which is hard since they were close.
And now, she and George are facing an impossible choice: They have lost their temporary protected status, and are facing possible deportation back to Nigeria.
But Judah — who by virtue of being born in the U.S. is a citizen — can't travel, so he can't go with them to their home country. So they can either leave him behind in institutional care, or break the law by staying in the U.S. without authorization.
"I'm just beside him, because he can't speak for himself," Ifi says. "So having someone so fragile that has been entrusted to you, for me, I was no longer the center of my world. My marriage was not as important as Judah at the time because, in other words, we could take care of ourselves. We could speak for ourselves, but Judah couldn't speak for himself, So for us, it was a no-brainer."
Ifi has heard the criticisms of people who travel to the U.S. to have children, gaining citizenship for their offspring and then trying to stay as their caregivers. (The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled on that issue, turning away an executive order from President Donald Trump that tried to erase birthright citizenship.)
But she rejects that idea entirely.
"So it's a tough one for us. It's like being boxed into a corner. I understand there are policies that every country has, but the truth is, no one plans to have child. When I got the last letter and the notice to appear, I said to myself, I would never have chosen to have Judah at 24 weeks. Never in my life. I want my son to enjoy life," she said.
"This is like a horror movie. For months, I would pray, I would go to sleep and I would pray, like God, let this be a nightmare that I wake up and my baby's still in my womb."
But Ifi, who takes Judah to church, accompanied by a go-bag that includes his seizure medicine, says she relies on her faith.
"I think what has kept me going is my faith, right? I believe that all things work together for good for those who love God and who are called according to his purpose. So if this is the path, I want to see if play out, I want to see what the choice, what decisions are, and we'll go from there, because at the end of the day, I've done everything I can do. I'm not going to go hiding. ... I want to be here legally, communicate and be able to take are of my son as best as we possibly can."
Sheila and George have their preliminary hearing before an immigration judge next week, and they've hired an attorney to represent them.
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