VIDEO: Immigrant Father and Son Reunited After Being Separated for Two Months by DHS

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The heart-warming moment that a father and his six-year-old son were reunited after being separated by ICE forces was captured on camera, and it is making our hearts feel full and our eyes full of tears– and reminding us that the scars of this separation do not end with the reunification.

After the countless news stories of families being torn apart by Donald Trump’s new immigration policies, and the heart-breaking pictures and videos of the children who have been detained because of this, one story of a Guatemalan asylum seeker being reunited with his son, has given hope that this soul destroying policy will soon come to an end.

Hermelindo Che Coc arrived at LAX with a suitcase full of new clothes and food for his son, as he waited for the moment he has been hoping for since his son got taken away from him two months ago. The two were separated as they tried to get across the US border, but as this horrifying policy slowly comes to an end, Hermelindo was finally reunited with his six-year-old son, Jefferson.

The video of the two being reunited was posted to Twitter by @LATbermudez, who appears to be one of Hermelindo’s friends. Esmeralda posted to Twitter a series of tweets, which showed the lead up to this moment, and finally the video of when the moment finally arrived. One of the tweets shows a picture of a few phrases Che Coc has been learning in English. The first reads “I want my child.”

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The thread shows the emotions of Hermelindo and what goes through a father’s mind. A video that Berumudez posted, was one of Che Coc sat in a lounge which was set up by the airline. Even though he is surround by luxury, he is shown with his head in his hands, crying, praying and thinking of only his son.

The pictures that followed after were heart breaking, as Jefferson didn’t greet his father with a hug, but only a vacant stare.

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Separating a child from their parents at a very young age can cause serious lifelong effects, that go beyond anxiety and trauma. There can be issues with health, speech defects, aggressiveness, and even cognitive, behavioural and psychological dysfunction. Hermelindo’s story is one of many, and you can read more about his story here.

If you would like to help make a difference and have your say, you can donate and/or sign petitions, and help towards putting an end to this inhumane policy.

Here are a few that we recommend: Action Network, The ACLU, or RAICES.

For more stories, follow us on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.

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