“Mom couldn’t see my sister anymore, but I hugged her”

With tears in my eyes before meeting my sisterCyrila Campos Martinez, 66, is reunited with her 75-year-old Bertha, whom she hasn’t seen physically in 34 years.

They could not hold back their tears, nor the joy that, when they saw their sister, she just hugged her for a long time.

Cyrila, her husband Emiliano Agustin, and their daughter Azucena traveled 18 hours from Washington State to Los Angeles to coincide with a warm welcome thanks to the efforts of the Strong and United Migrant Families group.

Cyril remembered that his sister was good and although sometimes they were angry, they were immediately pleased.

“We never parted until my husband brought me to the United States,” she said. “I was barely 20 years old.”

She said that her sister Bertha read her books and that they always went out together. to the store. They were very attached and always hung out together.

However, his joy was not complete.

His mother, Rosa Martinez Torres, was also due to make a trip to the United States. But it was impossible. She passed away in September 2022.

“My mom couldn’t see my sister anymore, but I brought her a hug,” Berta told La Opinión. “I missed her and I was sad that she wasn’t with me.”

This family native from Almoloya del RioMexico City now plans to celebrate Bertha’s birthday on February 26 and take her as a tourist to see the best places in Washington state.

altruistic work

Berta Campos Martinez was part of a group of 50 people over 60 whose relatives had to pay an average of $1,500 to help them with immigration procedures, obtain a visa to enter the United States, and pay for plane tickets. and forward. All of them should return to Mexico on March 21.

The elderly enjoyed the support of the leaders of the Association for Success and Community Education of the State of Mexico (ASECSM), led by Jorge Galindo in coordination with the state government..

Since 2015, more than 500 families have benefited from the Family Reunification Support Program for Mexico City Seniors and Mexicans Living in the United States.

However, the program was put on hold during the Covid-19 pandemic and Galindo, along with other employees, fought to keep the program alive.

With the support of labor unions and local politicians, they worked to feel the power of the community and make a difference in the world to reunite those left behind after immigrating to the United States.

After meeting my father [a través del programa]Now it’s my turn to meet your parents,” Jorge Galindo told more than 300 people who gathered in a hall in downtown Los Angeles, where the guests arrived on Saturday evening.

They traveled from New Mexico

After a countdown, the people holding the long curtains untied the strings and let them fall to the floor. Immediately, all the relatives who had stood for more than half an hour, with balloons and bouquets of flowers for moms, dads, grandparents, rushed to their “old men” to hug them.

From Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jesus David Sanchez and his mother, Maria del Carmen Contreras, traveled almost 786 miles to Los Angeles to receive Mrs. Guilhermina, her mother.

“My tears are emotions and joy,” said Guillermina, 75.WithYou. “I didn’t know her anymore [a su hija]; He has changed a lot physically.”

Maria del Carmen is from Ecatepec, Mexico State., She clarified that her mother is her best friend.

“She has always been unconditional with me in her advice,” he said. “I remember when I told him that I would come to the United States with my children, he did not believe me, but I did it to find a better future for them.”

For their part, Jesus David (30) and his sister Nancy (33) recalled that their grandmother always took care of them, even though she scolded them and “flipped” them when the money she gave them for the purchase of cakes, were spent on playing “little cars”.

“But the truth is that she taught us to be respectful and have good values ​​and morals,” Jesus David commented.

“What I missed most about my grandmother was her enchiladas verdes and chili relleno, which she knows how to cook,” Nancy added.

restore families

The goal of the Strong and United Migrant Families Family Reunification Support Program for the State of Mexico is dedicated to Mexicans living in the United States who, due to immigration conditions, have not seen their loved ones for over 60 years. age of a decade or more.

According to José Pablo Montemayor Camacho, international affairs coordinator for the State of Mexico government, PRI Governor Alfredo del Mazo’s priority is “to support the people of Mexico, who are the backbone of the state’s economy.”

The official told La Opinión that his compatriots are in fourth place in sending remittances to his country with $3.5 billion in 2022, and for this reason there is interest in family reunification.

Montemayor Camacho understood that without these additional economic resources for the municipalities of his state, many families would find it difficult to survive.

Of the 12 million Mexicans born in this country and living in the United States, nearly a million are of Mexican descent, meaning they represent the second or third state of the Mexican Republic that expels its labor force.

However, unlike states like Zacatecas, where emigration creates “ghost towns”, something ironic is happening in the state of Mexico City: more Mexicans are coming to work in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Veracruz.

Emotional reunion of mother and son

Of all the visitors, Maria Gonzalez Gonzalez was the oldest: she was 88 years old. Her son, Samuel Valencia Gonzalez, a 53-year-old mechanic living in Los Angeles, was looking forward to seeing her.

With her walker and listening device, Maria, a diabetic woman full of illnesses, remained calm for several hours, sitting, waiting to be in front of her son, whom she did not I watched 23 yearswhen he left San Juan Jikilisco, Mexico State.

“I came to the United States to give my mother a better life; she is the best gift from God for my life,” praised Samuel, while it’s been cleared cried and informed her sister Esperanza by telephone that her mother had arrived safely.

Balbina Hernandez, from San Marcos Tecomacsuco, in the municipality of Ekazingo, was filled with the same joy., who lives in Fullerton.

She, her husband Cresensio and their son Steven welcomed her with open arms. To Maria Hernandez Villanueva, Balbina’s sister, who, before travel was canceled due to the pandemic, also waited in vain for the arrival of her mother Adolfa Villanueva.

“My mother died of stomach pain…, her papers were already drawn up, and I never saw her and did not say goodbye to her …, It was very painful, but now I am excited because I was able to see and hug my sister after a quarter of a century.”