Since several weeks, thousands of children flock to the southern border of the United States.
They come from Central America. And among them there are a lot of minors. To understand what is happening, let’s evoke the story of a 9-year-old boy, born in Guatemala, thanks to a remarkable report from the Washington Post, which begins at Fort Lauderdale Airport in Florida.
9-year-old Pascual is about to return to Guatemala. He cries because he leaves his parents and adopted brothers, but he is happy because he will be reunited with his biological parents. Pascual grew up in a village of 60 houses, high up, near the Mexican border. He helps his parents pick lemons. He has a smaller brother and sister.
In May 2019 a cousin, Marcos, comes to see them. He was arrested while attempting to enter the United States illegally where his father already lives. He asks Pascual’s father if he can take the little boy. Because he heard that American customs would let him pass if he was with a child. In exchange, he offers the equivalent of 13 dollars to parents.
Alone in the United States
The parents refuse at first, but the cousin insists that it is without the only solution so that their son has a decent future. The father gives in, the mother follows, but is devastated the day her son leaves. Two buses and a motorbike later he finds himself at the border, passes through a hole in a fence, dives into the Colorado.
Once arrived on the other side, they surrender themselves to border police officers. Thanks to a fake birth certificate, indicating that Marco is Pascual’s father. And since he already has family in the United States, they pass. Which is already an achievement since we are in the Trump years with a restrictive migration policy.
So let’s go to Florida, but it’s far from a dream life. Pascual does not go to school and his cousin often comes back from his job on the construction sites drunk and angry. And he even hits the boy. Fortunately social services have been alerted.
As a result of this report, Pascual is placed with a family and the cousin is expelled.
And when he comes back to the village, in Guatemala, the parents of little Pascual understand that their son, who is barely 8 years old, is now alone in the United States. Fortunately, Pascual finally has a little luck. The host family takes very good care of him. He gets along well with his adopted siblings, goes to school and begins to speak English.
A two-year journey
And meanwhile, have his parents heard from him? They managed to contact an association that brings together children and separated parents. And then, one Christmas day, the Florida family gets a call.
Pascual sees his father and mother appear. His last know they made a mistake, no matter the money, their son has to come home.
After some administrative and legal twists and turns, one day (we see it on a video) the host family tells Pascual that he will be able to return. He is overjoyed. His classmates give him a book in which they tell him that they love him and wish him good luck.
Almost two years after letting him go, his family reunites with Pascual. He finds his house, which is more of a cabin. It’s less comfortable but it’s home. This beautiful report told a lot better than any statistic these complex situations and which have a denominator: those who leave home never do so for pleasure.
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