TIJUANA – María Toribia, and her three children and grandchildren, are today in a hotel in San Diego awaiting the results of the COVID-19 tests before they can transit through the United States. The mother, and her family, with a 14-year-old son with a disability in her arms, crossed the border from Tijuana to San Diego legally on April 19.
This Friday TELEMUNDO 20 spoke with the relatives who stayed from Tijuana who have mixed feelings, because on the one hand they say they feel nostalgic for no longer having their family around and on the other they feel the emotion of seeing their family fulfilling their dream of reaching USA.
“I feel happy because they, thank God, are moving forward and are going for a better future,” said Crescencio Matute, Maria’s son who saw her leave from the Agape Misión Mundial shelter.
Two Honduran mothers, accompanied by five children, crossed from the San Ysidro checkpoint in Tijuana to seek refuge in the United States this Monday morning. More details at TELEMUNDO20.com.
The excitement for this family is felt on both sides of the border. Dilcia Matute, daughter of María who is waiting for her from Chicago, assured TELEMUNDO 20 that the most important thing for her is that her little brother with hydrocephalus can have access to treatment in the United States.
The image of Maria carrying her 14-year-old son while crossing the border has already gone viral. For the family, it represents the hope of access to medical care that they have not been able to give in their native Honduras.
“I would like him to receive good treatment or someone who says I want to sponsor him, I don’t know there are also good people,” said Dilcia.
At the shelter in Tijuana, emotion is constant, as they continue to cross legally and are not part of the MPP program. This Thursday six Mexican citizens followed the same path as María.
“It seems that next week we have more immigrants and how in two weeks they also called others who are also about to cross, so right now they are all well motivated,” said Alberto Rivera, president of the civil association Agape World Mission.
Meanwhile Dilcia continues to work hard from Chicago to raise money to pay for seven tickets to allow her family to travel from Southern California.
“Right now I am wearing the shackle, I work a few hours, well with the help of God and I work and since I am here with my children and my mother who sent him $ 100, $ 50, so for milk, Toñito’s diapers, But right now, thank God, I say, I hope they remove the shackle to be able to work longer hours ”, said Dilcia Matute
Dilcia also said that she also crossed from Tijuana to the United States legally through the MPP program in 2019.
He longs for the reunion with his daughter
The mother’s arrival in Chicago also implies a long-awaited reunion with her daughter, whom she has not seen since crossing to the US in 2019.
“I already went to buy him some clothes and he was saying to me, oh I’m going to come with you, and I tell him you’re going to be here,” said Dilcia.
And today, after seeing the results of his life there, the only thing he recommends to his compatriots is that they do not try to cross the border illegally.
“They told me come jump, but I have my children, they go and take a child from me on the road or I would start to think, why throw one in the river or the desert, no, no, I’m not going to risk my children, ”said Dilcia.
TELEMUNDO 20 also spoke this Thursday with Maribel, María’s daughter who accompanies him on this journey, and said that they hope to leave San Diego this Saturday on their way to Chicago.
Hunger, kidnappings, and a two-year separation: a migrant family recounts their odyssey that led them to California.
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