Central American families to reunite with their children after being separated

Almost thirty Central American families that were deported without their underaged children back in 2018 will soon be reunited again. The separations happened during President Donald Trump’s “Zero Tolerance Policy.

“Al Otro Lado”, a non-profit organization based out of New York, helped the 30 families come from Tijuana to the port of entry in Mexicali last week to demand asylum and reunite with their children.

Among the group was Honduran father, Jose Magdallenos , who was separated from his 15-year-old daughter ten months ago at the Isabel Detention Center in Texas.

“I came to the United States during the time that the law was in effect that separates families. I turned myself into immigration and they took me into a room and that’s when I was separated from my daughter,” said Magdallenos.

During his time in the detention center, Magdallenos said it wasn’t long until he didn’t hear of his daughter again.

“We were brought into a room and they took her into another room. The first two days they let me go and talk with her. It was after those two days that I didn’t know anything of her anymore,” said Magdallenos.

A local non-profit organization, Border Kindness, is providing resources to all families as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processes them one by one.

“As this family gets ready to travel, this is where our work comes in because for them it will be very frustrating and stressful to go through security checkpoints at the airports due to the documentation,” said Yolanda Brown, a volunteer for Border Kindness.

Magdallenos is traveling to Seattle, Wash. for a court hearing and that will determine if the family obtains asylum and reunification.

Border Kindness will be waiting in Calexico near the port of entry as more families are processed through CBP to be reunited with their loved ones.