Families Reunite as US-Mexico Border Opens for 3 Minutes
Families Reunite as US-Mexico Border Opens for 3 Minutes
Families Reunite in Rio Grande during the #HugsNotWalls reunion. | Photo: Twitter / @elpasotimes
Published 2 November 2016
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On the shores of the barren Rio Grande canal — or Río Bravo as it’s known across the border in Mexico, more than 300 families, under the watchful, vigilant eyes of U.S. Border Patrol and Mexico’s Federal Police, came together to hug for precisely three minutes.
Thanks to the concerted efforts of human rights advocacy groups, the second edition of the “Hugs Not Walls” event saw thousands of families reunite — albeit for only several minutes—Saturday morning at the border cities of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.
Starting at 9 a.m., groups of 20 people, 10 from each side, embraced family, members that some hadn’t seen for years, or even decades. The group of people from the United States wore blue t-shirts, while Mexicans wore white.
“This is an unprecedented moment,” said Fernando García of the U.S.-based Border Network for Human Rights, one of the organizers of the event. “The origin of it is the United States’ policy, which keeps families separated...with an aggressive policy against migrants.” “This is an act of love, there’s hugs, smiles and happiness but still, it is also an act of protest. We need to raise awareness of the crisis of deported families,” he continued.
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http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Families-Reunite-as-US-Mexico-Border-Opens-for-3-Minutes-20161102-0027.html
