Thread by @RAICESTEXAS

One of our attorneys, Kat Russell, is sitting in a car park outside the Pearsall Detention center waiting for Sara.

Sara is a 21 y/old indigenous Keqchi woman from Guatemala & is about to be released after 9 months.

Tomorrow she will be reunited w/her 5 y/old daughter, Alida.

Alida was released to her dad in Houston in early June but because Alida went to live with her dad, Sara lost all of the protections of the "Ms. L" lawsuit.

It meant that she was not eligible to be reunified with her daughter or even to get a new credible fear interview.

Before making the long journey to the U.S. border, Sara was brutally attacked in Guatemala on account of being an indigenous woman, and Alida witnessed much of the violence against her mom.

While in detention Sara was made to give her initial credible fear interview in Spanish despite making very clear to the officer that she only speaks Keqchi.

When she sought to have an immigration judge review the negative credible fear decision, the judge (appearing by televideo), tore up her interview, threw it in the trash, and told her that she was lying.

When our attorney, Kat, sought a re-interview with the Houston Asylum Office, our request was denied without explanation.

We believe if Sara was able to speak Spanish she would not have been detained for 9 months.

Kat is still waiting in the car park for Sara to be released.

The plan is for Sara to fly with Kat to Houston early tomorrow morning.

Alida will be waiting for her at the airport to give her a hug for the first time in 9 months.

Please remember: Families are still being separated.

That is the real crisis the Trump administration should be trying to solve.

We'll continue to share Sara's journey on this thread until she is reunited with Alida tomorrow morning at Houston airport.

Sara is out!!

She's exhausted and overwhelmed but ecstatic.

9 months is a long time to be locked up and away from your 5 year old.

We're going to the store to get her a fresh pair of clothes.

At the store Sara stopped at the counter and picked out a bar of chocolate.

This was the first taste of chocolate she's had for over 9 months.

From tasting chocolate to very nearly getting deported, 9 months is a very long time simply because she didn't speak Spanish.

As this @CAPimmigration story explains, language access has life-or-death consequences for migrants americanprogress.org/issues/immigra… (hattip @TomJawetz)

@CAPimmigration @TomJawetz Sara is a sleep now.

She's got one more sleep before she will reunited with Alida, her 5 year old daughter, at IAH airport in Houston tomorrow morning at 11am.

We are as excited as she is.

#FamiliesBelongTogetherAndFree

@CAPimmigration @TomJawetz “I’m going to see my daughter.”

Sara is about to get on a flight in San Antonio headed for Houston.

She’ll see Alida in two hours.

@CAPimmigration @TomJawetz ✈️ ✈️ ✈️ ✈️

@CAPimmigration @TomJawetz While you are here and waiting for Sara to meet Alida, please read this excellent report from @TXCivilRights this morning: FAMILIES ARE ACTIVELY BEING SEPARATED AT THE BORDER.

This is the real national emergency.

https://twitter.com/TXCivilRights/status/1098609072058847234?s=20

@CAPimmigration @TomJawetz @TXCivilRights Alida is on the way to the airport and bringing a present for her mom.

@CAPimmigration @TomJawetz @TXCivilRights YAAAYYYYYYYY!!! They're back together!

9 months is an incredibly long time to be away from your daughter.

Potentially 1000s of families are still separated on the basis that kept Sara separated.

Sara wanted us to say THANK YOU to all of you who support her family.

@CAPimmigration @TomJawetz @TXCivilRights Here's a story written by @lomikriel for the @HoustonChron about Sara's case.

PLEASE READ THE DETAILS: houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-t…

Sara came here fleeing for her life and we locked her up for 9 months, and took her daughter away from her.

THIS IS NOT OK.

@CAPimmigration @TomJawetz @TXCivilRights @lomikriel @HoustonChron Sorry, should have said = Trigger warning on the above story.