An 18-month-old toddler was reunited with her mother at the San Francisco International Airport Tuesday night after she was separated from her father at the U.S. and Mexico international border about a month ago.
Sindy Flores, 23, and her partner Kevin Ventura-Corrales left Honduras months ago and arrived at the California border in Calexico in late December. Kevin was caring for their daughter Gretchen Juliet when he was detained due to prior deportation.
The toddler was placed in the custody of federal agents and was taken to a shelter for migrant children in Texas while Flores stayed in the U.S. while her asylum request processed.
She said that at times didn’t know where her daughter was.
"I was devastated, not knowing what to do," Flores said. "Impotent knowing she was somewhere else and not with me."
The mother said she could tell her daughter is not the same as when she last saw her and is concerned about what happened to her over the last month.
"Not only is she old enough to be affected," said UC San Francisco psychologist Chandra Ghosh Ippen. "She's more likely to be affected than an older child because her parents are her world, they're everything she knows."
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Flores has two other children, ages 9 and 7, who came across the border with her and all three are staying with family in San Francisco.
She hopes for asylum while Ventura-Corrales continues fighting deportation.
