By Rocio Granados - La Voz Catolica
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Catholic Legal Services' staff attorney Alberto Montequin, rear right, stands by as Yesenia, who lives in Miami, expresses her gratitude to Catholic Charities' Msgr. Bryan O. Walsh Children's Village where her son, Andy, rear left, spent 11 days before being reunited with her after crossing the border from Honduras. Also looking on is his stepfather, Manuel. Shelters throughout Florida such as the one run by Catholic Charities are in danger of being shut down by an executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
MIAMI | “I feel happy because I am reunited with my mom again,” said Andy, a 14-year-old who arrived alone in Miami after crossing the southern border into the U.S.
The reunification took place after many years of separation.
He left his native Honduras with his older brother due to the violence, the gangs, and the crime there, said his stepfather, Manuel. He made the journey — walking at times, other times by bus — because “I was afraid of staying in Honduras and I came with my brother, but only I got through,” Andy said.
When they reached the border, his brother was sent back because he was not a minor.
The journey is very dangerous “but thanks be to God, nothing happened to them,” said Yesenia, Andy’s mother. She said she learned of her sons’ crossing shortly before they reached the U.S. border. An immigration official called to tell her only Andy would be admitted.
Days later, she got a call from staff at Msgr. Bryan O. Walsh Children’s Village, operated by Catholic Charities, telling her that her son was in Miami.
Upon seeing him again, “I hugged him a lot and I cried. I felt happy, very happy,” Yesenia said.
Photographer: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC
Andy, an unaccompanied minor from Honduras who spent 11 days at Catholic Charities' Msgr. Bryan O. Walsh Children's Village, speaks to the media about his experience, Feb. 10, 2022.
“I was afraid when I first arrived in the U.S. but when I got to the Children’s Village I felt much better because they took care of me,” said Andy, who spoke at the press conference held Feb. 10, 2022, where Archbishop Thomas Wenski and other community leaders asked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ to revoke an executive order that would deny operating licenses to shelters for unaccompanied minors like the one that cared for Andy.
“I thank God for the care and protection that they gave my son during the time he stayed at Children’s Village,” said Yesenia, adding that thanks to the services he received during his 11 days at the shelter, he can begin his life in this country, beginning by going to school.
Alberto Montequín, staff lawyer at Catholic Legal Services, said “Andy’s case is an example of the value of these programs here in the state of Florida.”
Many unaccompanied minors who have parents or family in the state are sent to shelters in other parts of the U.S., far from their relatives. It takes longer to reunite them because their family members are far away, Montequín explained.
In Andy’s case, “he could be with his mom after only 11 days. In the meantime, he got good care in the shelter. But nothing replaces the love of a mother,” the lawyer said.
The ideal, he noted, is for children to remain in the shelters the least amount of time possible before reuniting with family members. “Andy’s case is an example of that.”
He and his mom were reunited quickly because shelter staff could verify their relationship, “and also because the shelter where the minor was sent was in the same city where his family lived,” Montequín said.
The license for Children’s Village comes up for renewal soon.
“Unless it's renewed, unless there's some sort of understanding between the governor's office and the feds, it's possible that we will no longer be able to carry out our mission,” said Peter Routsis Arroyo, CEO of Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Miami.
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