VIDEO: Honduran mother, 1-year-old separated at US-Mexico border reunite after 1 month apart
SAN FRANCISCO -- A Honduran mother who was separated from her baby at the U.S.-Mexico border is speaking out after she was reunited with her daughter at SFO on Tuesday night.
Sindy Flores held her baby for the first time in two months. She explained the agony she endured trying to find her daughter and finally getting her back.
"It was emotional. I can't begin to describe, seeing her for the first time was overwhelming," said Flores.
It was an emotional reunion where words were lost and weeping was the only sound. The 23-year-old Honduran mom held her baby and desperately repeated over and over again "don't worry my love, don't cry."
VIDEO: Honduran mother, baby separated at US-Mexico border reunite at SFO
Flores and her infant daughter were separated last month when the baby was taken from the father at the U.S. Mexico border. It took over a month for Sindy to find her daughter through immigration records. The baby had been taken to an immigration shelter in Texas.
"She doesn't understand, she thinks that we abandoned her because she was taken from her dad," said Flores.
Amie Latterman from the Children's Council in San Francisco sees cases like this one often.
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"The child's brain was developing in a significant way during those two months. Research shows that 90 percent of children's brain develops in the first five years of life and 80 percent of that in the first three years. Every minute that they're exposed to this kind of serious trauma like separation from their caregiver. Their brain functionality and development is being affected," said Latterman.
This family is not alone. Thousands of children were separated from their parents last year under President Trump's zero tolerance policy.
"We are preventing them from having a successful life by having these policies that separate children," said Latterman.
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Six months ago this administration announced a stop to this practice, yet families are still trying to be reunited with their children.
Flores was already planning on flying to Texas to pick up her daughter, but thankfully she was able to get her a day earlier.
More stories related to immigration here.
