4-month-old Border Patrol employee in Houston ICU denies compassionate transfer from Arizona

Houston, Texas (KTRK) – A family struggles to stay together for their little 4-month-old daughter in intensive care incubation, but a father’s job prevents him from moving to be close to his daughter.

Jessica Clark dreams of the day she can bring home her daughter, Ruby, who has been at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Texas since November. Her room with her bed and toys is waiting for you.

Clarke was urged two months earlier to save their lives, and Ruby was born with serious health complications.

“Honestly, a lot of the time, I don’t feel like being a mom, you know?” Clark said, crying.

Ruby was born with a brain hemorrhage that self-resolved and now has fluid in her brain, which they monitor, along with a blood clot near her heart and other devastating complications.

To add to what the family was already forced to go through, Robbie’s dad couldn’t be with her. Matthew Showell works for the US Border Patrol and is stationed in Arizona. He was denied what they described as a compassionate transfer to be in Houston with his daughter.

“He just wants to be a dad,” Clark said. “We want to be parents together.”

According to Border Patrol policy, “Employees may request compassionate transfers when there are serious emergencies affecting the physical or mental health of the employee or an immediate family member of the employee residing in his/her home.”

“It’s the name of their policy: Mercy,” Clark said. “It’s meant to help people who are going through some of the worst times of their lives. That’s what that is. This is the hardest thing any of us have ever had to endure. I can’t imagine anyone could look at this situation and say they don’t.” I don’t need to be there.”

Clark and Shawell are not legally married, but they are together. They don’t live in the same house, and the baby is in the hospital in Texas with her mom while Schuel is stationed in Arizona. Not living in the same house is what kept him in denial.

A letter from the Border Guard headquarters denying his transfer stated: “The newborn is not a direct member of the family residing in the employee’s home at his permanent work station.”

Clark wonders how many other people working in Border Patrol are disadvantaged simply because they may not live in the same house as their struggling family members.

“Let’s say they’re divorced, and Mom has custody, and Dad doesn’t. That doesn’t mean Dad is less important,” Clark said.

Ruby is expected to go through a long journey with upcoming surgeries and fear of the unknown. Clark just wants the father of her child or their daughter to be there and thinks the Border Patrol needs to rewrite its policy.

“Be human,” Clark said. “It’s not okay. It’s not normal.” “Nobody planned this. Nobody asked about this.”

Clark said she considered moving to Arizona with her baby, but said Texas Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital is one of the highest-rated hospitals in the country. She doesn’t want to jeopardize the care they receive or risk being transferred to Arizona.

The mother, feeling helpless and hopeless of any kind of help, has been emailing elected leaders and officials to try to help. I’ve heard responses from a few people who have reached out to the Border Patrol, but they have referred to the policy, unable to help. Clark said she wouldn’t give up.

ABC13 is waiting for an answer after contacting the US Border Patrol to find out why the policy was written that way and if they would be interested in changing it for their employees.

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