/ Modified jul 13, 2018 11:41 a.m.

Migrant Mother Plans Cross-Country Journey to See Her Sons

The mother and sons were apprehended crossing the border illegally and then separated by immigration authorities.

Rosaira unsized Rosaira Pablo Cruz holds photos of her two sons. Pablo Cruz was planning to catch a red-eye flight to New York Thursday night, with the hope of seeing the boys for the first time in about three months.
Matthew Casey, Fronteras Desk

An undocumented migrant mother from Guatemala planned to catch a red-eye flight this week from Phoenix to New York, where she hoped to see her two sons for the first time in about three months.

Rosaira Pablo Cruz lived in Chicago when she learned her older son was threatened by a gang that wanted money, so she returned to Guatemala with her younger son.

When she couldn’t protect her family, Pablo Cruz brought both boys to the U.S. They were apprehended after crossing the border illegally near San Luis, Arizona, then separated by immigration authorities. The kids were then sent to New York.

Pablo Cruz was held in detention until this week and is now on a mission to see her boys.

“When my husband passed away, I started to work to help my kids get ahead,” she said in Spanish. “Everything I’ve done has been for them.”

The 35-year old has applied for asylum in the U.S.

Fronteras Desk
This story is from the Fronteras Desk, a collaboration of Southwestern public radio stations, including NPR 89.1. Read more from the Fronteras Desk.
By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona