COBB COUNTY, Ga. — She says her husband was threatening to take Danny, who was just 1 year old at the time. She was holding him in her arms. She says her husband grabbed a pot of boiling water and threw it. The hot water burned much of Danny's chest and arm. Cifuentes says the scars are still painful, two years later.
"Safety is No. 1 why they left," says attorney Isaac Cotto.
Cotto says when Cifuentes left Guatemala in July, she was also seeking the opportunity to work in the U.S. to afford medical attention for Danny, something he has never received.
Mother and son were picked up at the Texas border and reunited with family here in Georgia while they awaited their day in court.
Danny's court date came first. In September, a judge ordered him to return to Guatemala.
"He has a deportation order," Cotto said. "All they see is someone that's been caught at the border, doesn't qualify, there's no relief for them. They take an order of deportation."
Cotto says complicating matters, Cifuentes has no documented proof of the alleged abuse. She never called police. She never took Danny to the hospital.
Cifuentes told Kavanaugh she feared authorities would take her child away.
Cifuentes says she is hoping that she and Danny will have the chance to stay for a while.
Cotto says if Danny gets evaluated by a doctor soon, he hopes his medical condition will be enough to get the government reopen his immigration case.
WSBTV
