For International Day of Families we wanted to share the story of one of the asylum families we are helping resettle after they were reunified with their child in 2019 after being separated at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018.
Sancho Juarez* had a happy life with his wife, Bella, and four kids living right outside of Guatemala City, Guatemala. That suddenly changed for Sancho after his middle son, Juan was targeted by local gang members. Sancho fled his home with Juan to keep Juan safe. Sancho knew that once you are targeted by a gang, your life is in danger and you will always be a target.
Sancho and Juan started their journey alone, because it was far too expensive for all the family to go. They made their way to the United States-Mexico border, where they hoped to ask for protection and to be considered for asylum. Sadly, although they asked to be considered for asylum in the legal way, they were met at the border with an executive order that broke them apart. Sancho was separated from Juan and immediately deported back to Guatemala, while Juan was kept in the United States.
In 2019, a year after the separation, the Juarez family were brought to the United States-Mexico border again, but this time with the organizational backing of Home for Refugees, Al Otro Lado, Together Rising, Matthew 25, and World Relief. Sancho planned to ask for asylum to be reunified with Juan. This time the Juarez family got accepted into the United States asylum-seeking process, reunified with their son, and was settled by our collaborative project in Akron, Ohio. The Juarez family has been partnered for the past 2 1/2 years during their asylum-seeking legal process by their Home Team, from a church in their community.
*All names are changed for privacy