White House

Guatemalan Family Reunites at Logan Airport After Migrating to U.S.

Under the Trump Administration's zero tolerance policy for immigration, Ludin Jiménez was detained in Texas while her two children were held in Michigan for five weeks

A family of four was finally reunited early Thursday after migrating to the U.S. from Guatemala in an effort to escape death threats.

Ludin Jiménez greeted her husband and two children with a large hug upon her arrival at Logan International Airport. Despite the time being 1:30 a.m., her two children – ages 9 and 17 – were alert and energetic when they saw their mother near the terminal. Embraced in a group hug, the emotional reunion brought tears to the family.

Jiménez was detained in Texas for five weeks after she and her children attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border to meet with her husband Elmer Oliva.

Oliva arrived in the U.S. two years ago and has been working as a painter to support his family as he waited for their arrival. However, the family had been kept apart by the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy. The family is seeking amnesty.

"They separated us," Jiménez told NBC10 Boston in Spanish. "I couldn't do anything in that moment."

Jiménez and her children were accused of illegally crossing the border from Mexico. While she was detained in Texas, her children were held in Michigan while her husband waited for them in Westborough, Massachusetts. The children joined Oliva last week.

Now, the entire family is once again together and looking forward to their new lives in New England.

"I have my son, my wife and I am very happy," Oliva said.

Editor's note: NBC10 Boston misspelled Ludin Jiménez's name in our initial report. We regret this error.

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