112 Immigrant Families Reunited in San Antonio as Deadline Passes

A last minute rush at Catholic Charities of San Antonio, as the deadline to reunite undocumented migrant parents and kids, separated at the border, has come and gone, Newsradio 1200 WOAI reports.

More than 112 migrants were reunited in San Antonio, which was one of four hubs for reunification in the country.  And while there are some families still separated, spokeswoman Christina Higgs says their work is not done.

"We'll continue to do what we need to bring families together and to help people.  That need is not going to stop because, well, deadline is done," she says.

She says they have not been given any updates from the federal government about whether more families are coming here after reunification or when they might arrive, but that's been the case all along for the agency, which has been feeding, clothing and caring for the migrants as they prepare for their asylum hearing.

Higgs says, at crunch time, they cannot afford to play politics about deadlines and what happens if they are not met.  They're laser focus on helping people.  At most, they spend a few days reunited in at their facilities until they're moved to a sponsor family.

"This isn’t just something that we're going to abandon because there is not a need.  Because there is one, and it's going to continue on."

But during their time here, Higgs says some special bonds have been created.  She tells the story of a little boy named Jonathan and their CEO, Antonio Fernandez.

"They have a secret handshakes, because (Fernandez) has been here to accept every single person and thank them for coming."

Some families will be reunited, but in their home country.  According to the Texas Civil Rights Project, six parents had been deported without their children.

IMAGE; GETTY


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