A mother and father who sent their sons to an unknown country – for the good of the family – now finding themselves grandparents and great-grandparents in a family that’s extended beyond borders.
"Realmente pensé que iba yo morir y no abrazar a mis hijos," said Rosa Vasquez, who is visiting from Oaxaca, Mexico.
"I thought I would die before embracing my sons again."
Rosa Vasquez
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Marcos is her oldest. He came to the U.S. 24 years ago with his parents’ blessing for work, and to send money back to help support them.
In those years, he married, had kids, created an American dream with roots that dug deep into Mexico.
They are just one of 140 elderly parents who traveled as part of a special government-sponsored program from Oaxaca, Mexico, to reunite with loved ones in Los Angeles.
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The governor of the state of Oaxaca helped arrange for temporary visas to bring the families together in LA.
For every one of them, they finally meet again beyond photos and video chat.
The families arrived Monday morning at LAX. Some haven't seen their relatives in 15 to 35 years. Immigration policy prevented those who came to the U.S. so long ago from returning.
Despite that, it was a happy moment.
"Pero me siento feliz," Vasquez said, choking back tears.
The wait was finally over. The families are on a 10-year tourist visa. They have to return to Mexico to renew every six months – making the next chapter all that more time-sensitive.
“Being able to have them and know they’ll be here for Thanksgiving, Christmas, for the first time with all of us, it’s going to be amazing," said Stephanie Vasquez, Rosa's granddaughter.
