Salvadoran mother Ms. Q and her three-year-old son J were among thousands of families separated at the southern U.S. border in spring 2018 under the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy of prosecuting any migrant who crossed the border outside of a port of entry, even if they were with minor-age children. When a federal court ordered the government to reunite the families, the Trump administration deemed hundreds like Ms. Q and J to be “ineligible” based on unsubstantiated allegations against the parents. NIJC represented Ms. Q and J in a months-long court battle to be reunited and released. Ms. Q, also publicly known as Ivette, shared her story while she and J were still separated and again after they were back together.
The New Yorker: The Case for Reuniting “Ineligible” Families Separated at the Border (9/13/18)
KQED: Judge Orders Reunification of Mother and Son From El Salvador (11/30/18)
La Opinon: Madre salvadoreña demanda al DHS para exigir reunificación con su hijo (10/25/18)
NPR: At The Border, Some Families Still Face Separation (12/17/18)