Divided by US Deportation, Mothers Fight to Reunite with Their Children John Dickie - Al Jazeera
go to original November 2, 2016

Filmmaker John Dickie traces the journey of "Dreamer Moms", a group of women separated from their families in the US (Al Jazeera English)

Until the mid-1990s, there was barely a fence separating the US and Mexico on the beach in Tijuana. People could stroll freely along the shore, into California and back again.

Today, with immigration and border security at the forefront of the political conversation, a six-meter-high, triple-layer steel barrier crowned by security cameras divides the two countries. The wall cuts across the beach in Tijuana, extending 100ft into the ocean.

For a few hours every Sunday, people on both sides of the border are allowed to interact through the fence, under the watchful eyes of US Border Patrol guards, at the spot known as Friendship Park, dedicated in 1971 by First Lady Pat Nixon.

The only form of physical contact that is allowed is the touching of fingers through the wire mesh, known as the "Pinky Kiss".

Such restrictions only increase the frustration and sadness of the people who gather there.

Most of those who come to Friendship Park are families and friends who have been separated by the border. Many on the Mexican side have been deported, while others simply come to visit migrant relatives who they cannot legally visit because of lack of papers.

The park has also become a meeting place for deported mothers who come to spend a few precious hours with their children, many of whom are undocumented in the US and therefore cannot leave the country.

Read the rest at Al Jazeera

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!