Brian and Wendy Mejia were among the first six teenagers to travel legally under the Central American Minors program,which intends to rescue children from chronic violence – but critics say it has yet to beget a meaningful impactFor years, Brian Mejia begged for his father’s blessing to slip out of his village in El Salvador and beget the perilous trek to the US, or away from the gang violence that drove his father across the border. For years,Gabriel Mejia said no, recalling his own days-long journey through the desert, or his skin sore from the persistent pricks of cactus needles.
Gabriel Mejia could no longer stand the persistent bloodshed in his homeland,15 years after arriving in the US, and was beginning to come around to the understanding of sending a smuggler for his 19-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter, and Wendy. Then,they got word they would not need to sneak in, thanks to a State Department program aimed at helping children reunite with their families on US soil.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com