Brazilian Woman Reunited With 9 Year Old In Boston After 44 Days

BOSTON, MA — A Brazilian mother seeking asylum in Boston was reunited with her 9-year-old son this weekend in Boston after the boy spent 44 days in federal custody in Texas.

An advocacy civil rights lawyer team assembled and held an emergency hearing in federal court Friday and less than 24 hours later, the government released the boy, who was detained in a Texas facility for 44 days, forcibly separated from his mother.

"Words cannot describe the emotions I am feeling. I feel like I am born again. I am overjoyed. I should have never been separated from my son. Family unity is sacred. I prayed hoping for justice. I want to put this nightmare behind me. I want to focus on creating a safe and nurturing home for my traumatized son. I am happy to see that justice was ultimately done, but I still worry about all the children and mothers who don't have access to lawyers. Who is helping and uniting them?," said W.R. in a statement.

In court papers, the mother has been identified as just "W.R." and her son as "A.R."

The duo crossed the U.S.-Mexico border together and surrendered themselves requesting refuge in the US, according to Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, but were separated by immigration officials.

After the separation, the government would not tell the mother any details about the boy's whereabouts or immigration case number, according to the activist organization representing the woman in court.

The government then probed her religious beliefs and practices, fingerprinted her -- and every other person in her home.

The Lawyers' Committee and pro bono attorneys from Wilmer Hale navigated a veritable legal labyrinth, according to a press release.

The government argued that the administration of justice and the "public interest" justified separating mother and child. This all played out in a packed courtroom in Boston, where the mother's legal team made arguments affirming the irreparable harm compounded on an hourly basis by the separation.

W.R. also received significant support from Congresswoman Katherine Clark, Sens Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren.

“I will keep fighting until all families are back together, for thoughtful immigration reform and, most importantly, to ensure this is never repeated,” said Clark in a statement.

The committee attributed the return of the child at Logan Airport on Saturday, July 14 at 2 p.m. to the advocacy work of the politicians, according to the press release.

Monday, W.R. and A.R. shared their story of terrifying separation and reunification at the Brazilian Worker Center in Allston.

"The government failed to present a single factual or legal basis for the initial separation let alone its refusal to reunite the family it illegally broke. This is a deliberate government campaign to intimidate and punish immigrants. The Trump Administration is illegally seeking to defeat the viable asylum claims of immigrant parents by encouraging their self-deportation to be reunited with their children," said Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee and counsel for W.R. and A.R. Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal.

"We are under siege. It should not take a lawsuit to reunite children with their parents. As immigrants, even our fundamental human rights and civil rights are under attack. We demand an immediate end to this injustice," said Executive Director of the Brazilian Worker Center Natalicia Tracy.

Another member of the counsel team for the duo said there's still work to be done.

“As advocates for the constitutional ideals this country was founded on, cannot truly declare victory until all the families that remain separated are reunited,” Vinita Ferrera, partner at WilmerHale and counsel for W.R. and A.R.

Espinoza-Madrigal said the woman and her son are not out of the clear just yet and will likely face a long legal road ahead to stay in the country.

In the meantime a group posted a GoFundMe crowd fundraiser to raise $12,000 for the family and the Brazilian Worker Center in Allston. As of Monday more than 100 people had raised nearly $8,000.

Photo courtesy GoFundMe.