Families separated by US-Mexico border reunite for 3 minutes
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SAN DIEGONov 01, 2016 - 12:00 am GMT+3
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Nov 01, 2016 12:00 am
The border fence between Mexico and the United States hosts reunions along the Tijuana-San Diego border on Sundays, where families separated by the fence get a chance to hug each other for three minutes.
It is the only place along the entire border where such meetings are allowed. On one side stand many who have been deported from the U.S., on the other those who fear deportation from the U.S.
"It's beautiful. The best thing that could happen to us, to see my sister after not seeing her for many years. Now, to see her... A lot of emotions come up."
With some 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S, President Barack Obama has sought to introduce reforms to ease the threat of deportation and make it possible for them to visit family in their home countries.
But such efforts have come to a deadlock, and the number of deportations have risen.
Activist Roberto Vivar, the founder of "Dreamers Moms," says hate and division have tarnished the United States.
"We ask ourselves: 'What has happened to the U.S.?' We are going back to the 1960s, where we saw all this hatred, racism, and now this is 2016 and we haven't advanced at all. "
So, for some families all they have is this wall-- and the hope of a different kind of future.
About the author
Research Associate at Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University
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