At ‘Hugs Not Walls’ Event, Families Separated By U.S.-Mexican Border Hug It Out Agence France-Presse
go to original June 25, 2017

After more than a decade apart, the Pastrana family on Saturday finally got to embrace during a special event allowing nearly 200 families separated by the US-Mexico border to spend three minutes together.

The meeting took place in the middle of the murky Rio Grande - which divides the Mexican city Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas and is crossable this time of year - under the watchful eye of Border Patrol agents.

"It has been a very long 11 years," said Claudia Pastrana, a 42-year-old from Ciudad Juarez, after hugging her sister and niece who now live in Texas.

"It is an unforgettable moment."

More than 2,500 people of the 195 families separated by immigration or deportations attended the event, dubbed "Hugs Not Walls," which is organized by the non-profit Border Network of Human Rights group.

It is the fourth round of the event, and the second since the presidential election of Donald Trump, who has on numerous occasions targeted Mexicans with anti-immigration rhetoric.

"It is a way of protesting and raising a voice against aggressive policies of the current (US) president," said Fernando Garcia, director of the Border Network.

Read the rest at NDTV

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