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Jose Antonio Rodriguez had a bouquet of flowers in his trembling hands.
It was almost a quarter century after he left his family in Mexico to seek work in California. In all those years, he never saw his parents.
They kept in touch as much as possible, but the letter took months to cross the border. His father was never for the phone. Visitation was impossible: Jose was undocumented and his parents lacked a visa to come to the US
Now, after years of separation, they were about to reunite. Jose’s stomach was a knot.
He was a young man, 20 years old when he left the house, skinny and ambitious. Now he is 44 years old, thick in the middle, thinning hair in the temple.
Do his parents recognize him? Does he recognize them? What do they think about his life?
Jose spent weeks preparing for this moment, cleaning up the Inland Empire trailer from top to bottom, cleaning weeds from his yard. He bought a new pillow to put on his bed, he gave it to his parents and had a sofa.
Finally, the moment was mostly here.
Gerald Villarreal Salazar, 70, left, was reunited with his grandson Alejandro Rojas.
Leovaldo Arerano (39) on the left, and his father, Jose Manuel Arerano Cardona (70), will meet again in 24 years.
Officials in the state of Zacatecas in Mexico were helping mothers and fathers apply for documents that would allow Mexican citizens to enter the US for temporary visits as part of a new program that would bring the elderly parents of undocumented workers to the US. Many others refused their visa application, but they were approved.
They packed suitcases full of local sweets and traveled 24 hours a day by bus with four other parents of US immigrants. Now they were standing up in the East Los Angeles Event Hall where Jose was waiting, along with other immigrants who hadn’t seen their family in decades.
Wearing a grey polo shirt and new jeans, Jose always thought of something by. A lonely night during the Christmas season when he longed for the taste of his mother’s cooking. He could always use his father’s advice.
His plan was to stay in the US for several years, save some money, and return home to start his life.
But life isn’t waiting. Decades passed before he learned that, and Jose built a community and career in carpentry in California.
Juan Mascolo sings for the family he has reunited.
He sent tens of thousands of dollars to Mexico. Funding for improvements to parents’ homes and purchasing machines for the family butcher. He sent the money of his contractor’s brother to build a two-bedroom house that Jose hopes to retire one day.
His mother, who likes to talk on the phone, kept him informed of all the deeds of the town. Construction of a new bridge. Marriage, birth, death, divorce. The creep of violence as a drug cartel brought war to Zacatecas.
And one day, I almost traveled. Jose’s father, Jovial, strong, always joking, landed in the hospital with the mind that the doctor said he was failing. He suffered there for six months on the brink of death.
But he lived there. And when he left, he declared he wanted to see his eldest son.
Framed artwork depicting the states of California and Zacatecas is a gift for families reuniting.
It is very common for a third of people born in Zacatecas to live in US migration, and the state has institutions tasked with paying attention to the needs of Zacatecas, who live abroad. For years, we have helped older Mexicans obtain visas to visit families north of the border.
The state has attempted to obtain visas for around 25 people this year. But the US, led by a president who now has slandered immigrants, has only approved six.
Jose had a childhood friend, Holocio Zapata. He also moved to the United States and had not seen his father for 30 years. Holocio’s father also applied for a visa, but he did not cut it.
Horasio was crestfallfallen. A few years ago, his mother passed away in Mexico. He spent his life helping her get out of poverty and then had no chance to say goodbye. He often thought about what he would give to share his final embrace with her. all. He will give it all.
He and his wife had come with Jose to provide moral support. He placed his arms around his friend, his voice shaking with nervousness.
Holocio Zapata, 48, hoped that his father could come to Los Angeles through the reunion program, but his visa request was denied.
Eastra was usually bustling and full of vendors hawking fruit, flowers and tacos. However, on this hot August afternoon, the street was eerie quiet as the car rose outside the event hall to leave Jose’s parents and other elderly travelers.
As federal agents descended into California, they were absorbing gardeners, day workers and car wash workers, the residents of these immigrant pockets remained mostly inside.
This idea crossed Jose’s mind: what if an immigration agent attacked a reunion event? But there was no way for him to miss it.
Suddenly he is the director of Asuns, the home town of the Zacatecas Federation. For Southern California, where they were holding the reunion, Jose asked him to stand up. Slowly, his parents entered.
Of course, they recognized each other. His first thought: Which one looked just how small?
Jose Antonio Rodriguez and his mother, Juana Contreras Sanchez, wiped tears from their eyes after the reunion.
Jose hugged her mother and gathered it. He handed her the flowers. And he held his father tightly.
This was a miracle, and his father whispered. He asked the Virgin to do this.
His father, who is in a state of heart, was tired from the long journey. They all took their seats. His father placed his head on the table and sobed. Jose stared at the ground, sniffed, then pulled up his shirt to wipe away tears.
Mariachi singers performed some songs loudly. A plate of food has appeared. Jose and his parents chose it in silence to the main.
At the next table, 70-year-old Jose Manuel Arerano Cardona announced her middle-aged son as a slut.
In the coming days, Jose and his parents relaxed at each other’s office, went shopping and attended church. Most nights they keep awake past the midnight talk.
Jose Antonio Rodriguez holds a bouquet of flowers for his mother and father.
Eventually, the parents returned to Zacatecas due to visa restrictions.
But for now they wanted to be together and see Jose’s house. He took them with his arms when he led them to the California sun.
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