Thursday Oct. 26 is a day that will forever be etched in the memory of Carlos Juárez Acosta. That day, Acosta was able to hug his father for the first time in 14 years.
He was not the only one. Alongside Acosta’s family, another 31 were eagerly waiting to see their own families: fathers, mothers and grandparents who reside in the Mexican city of Michoacán. Thanks to the program ‘Palomas Mensajeras’ they were granted their wish of seeing their loved ones in the United States.
Such was the case of Marta Flores, who had not seen her mother, Mercedes García Valdéz, in 16 years. “I feel joyful and so happy,” said Flores with a big smile on her face.
Tears, hugs, emotions… the scene repeated itself in every corner of the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta, which served as host to the event. Its goal is to reunite Michoacán immigrants who live in the U.S. with their parents, whom they have not seen in decades.
Slowly but surely, grandparents, parents and in laws who had only recently landed in the U.S. were able to embrace their offspring, all of whom came to Georgia long ago in search of new dreams.
The initiative is sponsored by the government of Michoacán and is supported by other migrant groups as well.
According to Consul General of Mexico in Atlanta, Javier Díaz de León, the program is a joint effort between the Mexican and United States governments.
“Michoacán calls it ‘Palomas Mensajeras,’ and basically it’s a program where they work with us and with several municipalities in Mexico in order to collect the documents of senior citizens and obtain visas for them through the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, so they can temporarily come to the United States and be reunited with their families,” explained Díaz de León in a previous interview with MundoHispánico.
The majority of participants are elderly fathers and mothers who have not seen their immigrant children in many years.
Out of 32 states in Mexico, nine (Zacatecas, Jalisco, Morelos, Puebla, Oaxaca, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Guerrero and Yucatán) offer family reunification programs which allow the parents of undocumented immigrants to go visit them in the U.S.
To qualify, participants must meet certain requirements set forth by the Mexican and United States governments.
In order for the older adult to be considered, their family member in the U.S. must also form part of a migrant club. If the club does not exist in his or her state, the person can form one by visiting his or her city’s consulate and following instructions provided there.
To qualify, participating older adults must be:
- older than 60 years of age
- the mother or father or a documented or undocumented immigrant who currently lives in the country
- able to provide the contact information of a relative who is a U.S. resident
- not have been deported or have a criminal history or previously been denied a visa to enter the U.S.
- able to pay all trip expenses.
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