Decision Reached On Deportation Of Ailing Stamford Man: Update

STAMFORD, CT — Nelson Rosales Santos, 49, who came to Stamford from Honduras in 1989, has been granted a six-month stay in the United States in order to undergo a kidney transplant, according to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who intervened on Santos' behalf with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.Santos was facing deportation despite him being on dialysis for failing kidneys, and supporters said the move could kill him.

WTNH-TV reports that Santos has a kidney donor, but doctors wanted assurances that Santos would be in the country for follow-ups before they would perform the operation.

Santos is married to a United States citizen and has no criminal record, reported the Stamford Advocate, and he also has three children. But he was an undocumented immigrant when he came to the U.S., and he missed a court hearing that he says he never received, which triggered the move by ICE to deport him.

In addition to failing kidneys, he also has high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, and no family or health care in Honduras, according to the Advocate. If he left the U.S. for Honduras on June 18 as originally scheduled, his prognosis was dire because he would not have access to dialysis treatments, which he undergoes three times per week.

His attorney has filed appeals to try to keep him here longer.

A rally is planned for 4 p.m. on Thursday at ICE offices in Hartford to support Santos, and among those scheduled to attend includes Gov. Dannel Malloy and other public officials.

Click here to read the story on the WTNH-TV website, and click here to read the full story on the Advocate website.

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(Editor's Note: This story has been updated)