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Today is the day. Today is the day you are finally going to see your parents for the first time in years. Even if it is for only three minutes or four, you know that that is enough time to hug them and tell them how much you love and miss them. That is the case for many families living in border towns like El Paso, Texas. Border Network for Human Rights, a non-profit organization in El Paso, started an event that made this possible for many people living in surrounding areas.

When President Trump took office in 2017, he reversed many, if not all, of President Obama’s executive orders on immigration. He used his executive powers to end immigration policies like DACA and DAPA. He also ordered the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants.1 Trump issued the renewal of the Secure Communities program, which increased the backlogs in deportation hearings, making it more difficult for undocumented immigrants to move forward in their process to obtain a green card.2 Three years ago, in January, President Trump doubled down on his promise to build a wall along the southern border by signing an executive order, which created a lot of anxiety and uncertainty for many living in border towns.3

The Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR), took it upon themselves to try to ease some of the anxiety that families from the border face every day. The annual event Hugs not Walls brings families together from the United States and Mexico that have not seen each other in a long time due to the broken immigration system.4 The event of thousands of people is “an event of humanity and love,” stated the executive director of BNHR, Fernando Garcia. “This primary goal is to bring together those families that have been separated, but it’s important to say that also it is an act of protest – because we need to bring attention to those families that have been in detention, deported and separated of their family members.”5 Technically, no one is breaking the law here because no one is crossing either side of the border; they are staying right in the middle of the river, which has no water running and has only dirt and mud, without giving each other anything.

“Debora” reunited with her family members | Courtesy of ABC news

A twenty-four-year old woman, who gave the name “Debora” due to confidentiality because she and her family came to the United States undocumented, has not seen her sister Gloria in a decade, since she was caught by border police and deported. Gloria also has a now fifteen-year-old daughter that made it to the U.S., but has not seen her since. The sisters only live seven miles away from each other, but the U.S.-Mexico border is the obstacle that keeps them from seeing each other. Debora states that it is truly tough knowing that it is just a fence across the street that keeps her away from her family.6 Ruby Almaraz drove from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to have a chance to see and hug her father for the first time in twenty-three years, since he was deported when she was only a baby. Ruby drove twelve hours along with her mother, sister, and her seven-year-old daughter, so her father can meet his granddaughter for the first time.7 The Jaimes family from Las Cruces, New Mexico, traveled to El Paso to reunite with their grandparents. The Jaimes’ elders were deported two years prior to the event and now their grandchildren get to see them once every six months, which has been really rough for them, since they were all very close. The deportation really tore them apart, stated one of the grandchildren.8

Families finally reunite with each other at border | Courtesy of ABC news

The much anticipated day had arrived. Families waited in line along the river to meet with their family members across the border. Those members on the Mexican side were wearing the white t-shirts given to them and those on the U.S. side were wearing the blue t-shirts. Debora, along with other family members, embraced her sister, aunts, and uncles as tears flowed down their faces and for those four minutes, her family was complete again.9 Ruby finally embraced her father across the yellow caution tape that was used to signify the border line. They barely had enough time to say they missed each other and that they wish that one day they’ll be all together again.10 The Jaimes’ grandmother was overwhelmed with happiness and sobbed as she hugged her grandchildren. “This is something big, something I never thought would happen,” said Grandma Jaimes speaking in Spanish. “I am very grateful to the people involved who allowed us to do this and give each other a hug.”11

Border Patrol agent monitors the family members at the border event | Courtesy of Los Angeles Times

Due to the building of the wall along the border, the event was forced to be moved to a dirt road several miles to the northwest from its previous location in 2018. Garcia stated that this was more symbolic than ever because these families are overcoming these walls, by hugging.12 This only goes to show how President Trump’s policies are affecting negatively these communities and their people. The border wall and recent policy proposals focused on the border are not long-term solutions. They are a symbol of our country’s failure to resolve the issue of undocumented immigration, that could be dealt with by a comprehensive immigration reform.13

  1. Michael C. LeMay, Immigration Reform: A Reference Handbook (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2019), 80.
  2. Michael C. LeMay, Immigration Reform: A Reference Handbook (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2019), 81.
  3. Michelle Kessel, Robert Zepeda, and Lauren Effron, “Families separated by US-Mexico border embrace in emotional ‘hugs not walls’ 4-minute reunions,” February 2017, ABC News Online (website), https://abcnews.go.com/US/families-separated-us-mexico-border-embrace-emotional-hugs/story?id=45205124.
  4. “HUGS NOT WALLS,” Border Network for Human Rights (website), https://bnhr.org/hugs-not-walls-stories-of-family-reunification/.
  5. Michelle Kessel, Robert Zepeda, and Lauren Effron, “Families separated by US-Mexico border embrace in emotional ‘hugs not walls’ 4-minute reunions,” February 2017, ABC News Online (website), https://abcnews.go.com/US/families-separated-us-mexico-border-embrace-emotional-hugs/story?id=45205124.
  6. Michelle Kessel, Robert Zepeda, and Lauren Effron, “Families separated by US-Mexico border embrace in emotional ‘hugs not walls’ 4-minute reunions,” February 2017, ABC News Online (website), https://abcnews.go.com/US/families-separated-us-mexico-border-embrace-emotional-hugs/story?id=45205124.
  7. Brittny Mejia, “Organizers call for ‘Hugs Not Walls,’ even as they are displaced by the border wall construction,” Los Angeles Times Online (website), October 13, 2018, https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-texas-families-wall-20181013-story.html.
  8. Ray Bogan, “Hugs Not Walls: Families divided by the U.S.-Mexico border get 4 minutes to reunite,” November 2016, Fox News Online (website), https://www.foxnews.com/world/hugs-not-walls-families-divided-by-the-u-s-mexico-border-get-4-minutes-to-reunite.
  9. Michelle Kessel, Robert Zepeda, and Lauren Effron, “Families separated by US-Mexico border embrace in emotional ‘hugs not walls’ 4-minute reunions,” February 2017, ABC News Online (website), https://abcnews.go.com/US/families-separated-us-mexico-border-embrace-emotional-hugs/story?id=45205124.
  10. Brittny Mejia, “Organizers call for ‘Hugs Not Walls,’ even as they are displaced by the border wall construction,” Los Angeles Times Online (website), October 13, 2018, https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-texas-families-wall-20181013-story.html.
  11. Ray Bogan, “Hugs Not Walls: Families divided by the U.S.-Mexico border get 4 minutes to reunite,” November 2016, Fox News Online (website), https://www.foxnews.com/world/hugs-not-walls-families-divided-by-the-u-s-mexico-border-get-4-minutes-to-reunite.
  12. Brittny Mejia, “Organizers call for ‘Hugs Not Walls,’ even as they are displaced by the border wall construction,” Los Angeles Times Online (website), October 13, 2018, https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-texas-families-wall-20181013-story.html.
  13. The Impacts of Trump Policies on Border Communities : Hearing before the Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, April 30, 2019. 2019. U.S. Government Publishing Office, https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=829004, 14.

Eliane Castorena

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33 comments

  • Haley Ticas

    This article had a very interesting topic that aligns with my interests since I am from the Rio Grande Valley and am the daughter of immigrants. It has informed me and other readers of an event organized to reunite families. I am glad to have learned that Hugs not Walls has not only served the purpose of reuniting families but has also called to attention this issue of family separation. I thought that including the testimonies of individuals and families participating in the Hugs not Walls event strengthened the article by providing real life examples, which made it very raw and real. It is unfortunate and unbelievable that policymakers strive to keep families separated from each other. Therefore, I specifically enjoyed the article’s conclusion that effectively communicates the failures of the immigration system.

  • Manuel Rodriguez

    I am extremely proud to say that this event took place in my hometown of El Paso, Texas. Once again setting an example for the entire country of what it means to approach these types of polarizing issues with compassion and heart. As an individual whose family has suffered the harsh consequences of a broken immigration system, the hugs not walls event teaches us that the majority of individuals that have crossed the border undocumented have done so with the pure intention of being reunited with their family. It shows us that we cannot keep conducting these types of family separations. One thing is to deport criminals, drug traffickers, or murderers. That is different from deporting law-abiding mothers and fathers who pose no threat to our communities.

  • Emilia Caballero Carmona

    Hey Eliane, your article was great and I’m glad there’s people that care about these kinds of topics like me. I agree with your point of view in immigration 100%. I don’t understand why government would let our President get rid of very important programs in the US such as DACA and DAPA like you mentioned. I hope government soon realizes the negative impact this brings to the US and to families as well.

  • Allison Grijalva

    This is a beautifully written article about the love of family. What I enjoyed most about the article is the human narrative that is presented about the policies which this administration has put into place. It seems as though when things like immigration reform are discussed, what is focused on tends to be the economic and political sides of the story. Often times what is left out of the conversation is the fact that these people who try coming to the United States for a better life are just that; people.

  • Yamel Herrera

    Coming from the border city of Brownsville, TX, I am able to relate to the narratives told by some in this article. I think you perfectly captured how the immense power that a mere fence holds and how it has drastically changed the lives of so many. For example, you were able to do so when referring to the fact that “Debora” and Gloria only live seven miles away from each other, but are denied their basic human right to be present in each other’s lives, all because of a fence. Additionally, I believe that by including an anecdote of someone who has not directly been affected by the separation from family, the article’s main purpose may be enhanced.

  • Reba Reyes

    Coming from Brownsville, Texas, a city 5 minutes away from the border, you see this happen very often. I am very fortunate that my intermediate family is not going through situations like this but I do know that parts of my family have gone through this. It is a very scary thing to experience something like that. I believe it is crazy how one wall is making a huge difference for people’s lives. People come over to the United States for a better life for not only them but their children, and it is very unfortunate how quickly that can be taken away.

  • Elizabeth Santos

    Trump’s policies on immigration have always saddened and angered me, and I am beyond grateful that my family has stayed safe despite being one of the president’s targets for discrimination. This article sharing the event Hugs not Walls, warms my heart, and overall restores my faith in humanity. I bet that even if the reunification is less than five minutes, the words and hugs shared will last for a long period of time.

  • Genesis Vera

    As someone who has lived in fear that her parents and older siblings would be deported one day- I still can not begin to imagine how it must feel to be separated from family members that you love. I really appreciate this article because the author had an opportunity to make this a pessimistic story but instead it was uplifting. I never knew about the event Hugs Not Walls but I am glad I learned something new today. It is very easy for people now-a-days to lose hope in their government because of all the harsh policies the Trump administration has put in place- instead I find myself at awe at those who have decided they will not let this administration stop them from doing what they know is right. I wish I could have seen more pictures or videos of these families being reunited, but over all this article was heart warming and was truly a light in my day.

  • Alyssa Vasquez

    Reading this article, I realized how blessed I am to see my family and see the all the time. I never realized that I would take seeing my family for granted and reading this, I shouldn’t. It’s unbelievable to think that the government is just okay with separating families. Not a single person deserves for their family to be ripped apart just because of what the government thinks. I don’t believe that all the time is enough time with family, much less three or four minutes.

  • Alexandria Wicker

    This article makes me realize how fortunate I am to not be in this type of situation. Families everywhere have to go through loses of family members due to immigration almost everyday. These families have people that they love taken away from them and are under so many restrictions to where they can’t see them. Some of my extended family from Mexico isn’t allowed in the US and their immediate families here in the states hurt everyday because of the so little distance between them. This is one of the biggest issues in the US and I really do believe that this needs to be taken care of.

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