Omar and Arin

Omar and his eight-year-old son Arin fled Honduras about three months ago, seeking refuge in Texas through the US-Mexico Border. When he arrived, he plead to the immigration patrol that he feared for him and his son’s life and was seeking asylum in the United States. Immigration services responded by holding him at a detention center, then put his son in the foster care system in New York. Arin spent his eighth birthday with his foster parents, and recalls being treated kindly by them. Omar was heartbroken that they had taken his son away from him, as they always traveled and stuck together. Thankfully, Omar and his son were recently reunited and taken to a shelter in San Juan, Texas. Shelters like the one Omar is staying in house hundreds of immigrants a day and rely on volunteers for daily meals. Omar and Arin celebrated their reunion with hamburgers. They shared the happy news with Arin’s mother, calling her on WhatsApp while she was cooking back in Honduras. Omar’s story is just one of thousands about children being separated from their parents upon crossing the border, a consequence of the new immigration policy. Though off to a difficult start, Omar has not lost hope. He intends to move with his son to Kentucky to look for work. Once there, he hopes to earn enough to support his wife and six kids in Honduras. Omar is not a criminal, he is just doing whatever necessary to provide for his family. At the end of the day wouldn’t any father do the same if their family was living in constant fear?