Spent Saturday evening witnessing Guatemalan asylum seeker Hermelindo Che Coc reuniting with his six-year-old son Jefferson Che Pop after they were separated for nearly two months under President Trump’s ‘zero-tolerance’ immigration policy. 📸 ⬇️ goo.gl/aEEP9U 
Before the reunion, Hermelindo mopped floors & washed bed sheets at the home in the L.A. area where he was staying. He cooked his favorite chicken dish. He bought new Spiderman themed clothes. “I want him to walk in here and know he’s home,” Hermelindo said.
Translation for certain phrases are scribbled down on paper as Hermelindo prepares for his reunion at LAX. “I’m his papa and we’ll always be together.” #yoquierominiño
Hermelindo was quiet for most of the car ride towards LAX. His 6-year-old son Jefferson, was returning from a shelter in New York alone. As he walked towards the terminal, Hermelindo started tearing up and he continued that way until he arrived.
And as he waited for the flight to arrive, Hermelindo kept a timer on phone, counting the minutes passing before his son's flight from New York arrived at LAX.
Read @LATbermudez story: "At the airport, Che Coc went over in his mind the first words he would say to his boy. “Welcome, my boy.” “You’re with me again.” But no amount of planning could have prepared him for the empty gaze in his son’s eyes as he swept the boy into his arms."
“Jefferson Che Pop, a playful boy who loved racing tiny cars across the dirt floor of his Guatemala home, stood stiff, looking vacantly at the gray carpet. Jefferson had been held in a detention center in New York. He had spoken to his father three times in 46 days.” #thoseeyes
Jefferson's eyes were vacant, lost. He didn’t reach for his father, didn't move to hug him. Hermelindo crying at the reunion said "papa" to his son.
Stark contrast: this is the photo provided by the family showing Jefferson grinning and in his Sunday best, back home in Guatemala.
Now that they have been reunited, comes the tough part: their legal odyssey was far from over. Lawyers in L.A. had stepped in to help Hermelindo last week after they learned he might be deported without his son. Read that previous @LATbermudez story here: latimes.com/local/californ…
Officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services would not comment on Che Coc or his son. His attorneys with Immigrant Defenders Law Center said illegal entry charges brought against Che Coc were dismissed. latimes.com/local/californ…
Now they plan to fight for the father and son’s asylum case, a protection granted by international law. latimes.com/local/californ…
I realize that I have been using Hermelindo's last name Che Coc and his first name interchangeably, which might confuse some readers. I apologize. Hermelindo = Che Coc.
Read this part of @LATbermudez's story:
Che Coc and his first-born son were close.
“He’s the love of my life, my hero. We were so attached I couldn’t imagine leaving him behind.”
Now he sometimes wonders if he should have.
“He’s suffered so much, and I’ve suffered, too."
Che Coc and his first-born son were close.
“He’s the love of my life, my hero. We were so attached I couldn’t imagine leaving him behind.”
Now he sometimes wonders if he should have.
“He’s suffered so much, and I’ve suffered, too."
After a long emotional journey back from the airport, Hermelindo & Jefferson get settled in their temporary abode. An underwater TV show illuminates the room a cool blue. Legal battles are far from their minds. They are home, for now, in each others arms. latimes.com/local/californ…
Take a few minutes to read @LATbermudez's powerful story on Hermelindo and his son's reunion. The long road to their political asylum and trauma recovery is just beginning. Thanks for following the thread. latimes.com/local/californ…
UPDATE: Folks from @ImmDef handling Hermelindo & Jefferson's case set up this fund to help the father & son pay for "medical expenses, food, clothes, and anything else they need to help them get settled and recover from this traumatizing experience." gofundme.com/support-hermel…
