There was much joy and many tears on the afternoon of Saturday, December 7, when 21 parents from Mexico reunited with their children in Alabama after not seeing them for more than 20 years.
Thanks to the program “Abrazando Nuestras Raices”, parents were able to get tourist visas and travel from the Mexican state of Veracruz to Birmingham where their children and grandchildren were anxiously waiting.
In addition to the excitement of reunion with their children, many of the parents traveled for the first time by plane. In a full room, 18 families gathered to embrace their parents again. The grandparents were met with flowers and balloons from their grandchildren, whom they had never met in person.
The work coordinated between ACIJ and the Veracruz program “Con Raíces Veracruzanas” aims to bring together families in which Alabama immigrants have gone years without seeing their parents, as they cannot travel to Mexico due to their migratory situations.
The event was attended by Mr. Carlos Calderón, general director of Migrant Assistance of the State of Veracruz, who coordinates the program in Mexico and gave recognition to ACIJ for the work done jointly between the two organizations.
This was the first group that Abrazando Nuestras Raices coordinated in Alabama and we are already working on the formation of groups from other states of Mexico.
ACIJ will be offering information sessions on this program in different cities around Alabama, so that more families can benefit from this family reunification program.
Without a doubt, for these 18 families it will be an unforgettable Christmas, because they have achieved a dream to reunite after many years of being separated.
For more information call (205) 945-0777 or check our Facebook page, @ALimmigrant.