Mother and Son, 10, Face Deportation Over Autism Diagnosis

Beth Greenfield
·Senior Editor

Maria Sevilla with her son, Tyrone, whom Australian officials cite as the reason for denying her a work visa. (Photo: Change.org/Maria Sevilla)

In what a disabilities advocate has dubbed a “cold, heartless decision,” Australia’s federal government has decided move forward with a plan to have a woman and her 10-year-old son deported to their native Philippines — all because of fears the boy, who has autism, could wind up a tax burden if he becomes a citizen later in life.

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"I hope I’m not considered as a burden. I’m trying my best to work for Tyrone’s future," Maria Sevilla, a nurse in Queensland, in the city of Townsville, told ABC.net regarding her son. The two have been in Australia for eight years, and their story was widely covered in late 2014 when the government rejected Sevilla’s request for a skilled working visa. Sevilla appealed the decision, and it was rejected again this week. Now the mother and son could be deported in 28 days. “It’s like, I’m pleading for our life, for Tyrone’s future,” she said.

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Queensland Disabilities Minister Coralee O’Rourke called on the country’s immigration minister, Peter Dutton, to reverse the decision, which she told ABC.net was “cold, heartless.”

Sevilla created a Change.org petition for her cause in October, and it’s still active, with nearly 64,000 supporters so far. “In 2007, I brought Tyrone to Australia with me. He was 2 and a half. 6 months after we arrived he was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” she writes, noting that she’s a registered nurse who simply wants to stay in the country and keep working, which she cannot do without her visa. “Tyrone is not a burden, he is a joy. He’s non-verbal, but he still hears and still experiences the world. He is a happy child with full of life attitude and can lighten the mood of a room with his presence. He doesn’t take any medication, and he attends a special school. The idea that he can’t contribute because of his condition is just wrong. People with autism can be excellent at a whole range of things, he just need to be given a chance!”

The news of Sevilla losing her appeal takes on heightened significance today, April 2, which happens to be World Autism Awareness Day, when “autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with unique fundraising and awareness-raising events,” according to the nonprofit advocacy organization Autism Speaks. The organization is currently funding an in-depth study on the costs of autism, but a recent study out of Harvard University estimated that the added costs of autism-related healthcare and education — beyond those for a child without autism — average more than $17,000 per child per year in the United States. On a national level, the researchers estimated that the additional costs exceeded $11.5 billion in 2011.

Similar research out of Australia, from 2012, found that parents of autistic children often sell their homes or move overseas to gain access to treatment that can cost up to $50,000 a year. Advocates said that federal funding covers just an hour a week of early intervention — but recommends a minimum of 20 hours a week over two or more years. “You’re looking at $30,000 to $50,000 a year,” Nicole Rogerson of Autism Awareness Australia told News.com.au at the time. She called the government’s Helping Children with Autism Funding Package, which offers $12,000 per qualified child, a “Band-Aid on a gushing wound.”

On Thursday, the Queensland Nurses’ Union threw its support behind Sevilla and her son, issuing a press release urging Dutton to reserve his decision. “The Queensland Nurses’ Union calls on Minister Dutton to protect 10-year-old Tyrone instead of punishing him for his condition,’’ it reads. “Tyrone’s mother Maria is a hard-working and highly valued rehabilitation nurse who helps patients who have lost limbs and suffered spinal and brain injuries to rebuild their lives. Ms. Sevilla pays taxes, has private health insurance, and plays an integral role in supporting and bettering the community in which she lives. No child deserves to be sent into the vast unknown as punishment for a manageable medical condition for which they are not responsible.”