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Its back to school time on both sides of the US Mexico border & in the border town of Matamoros, Mexico migrant children are attending a different kind of classroom
Volunteers have created a pop-up school on a downtown sidewalk in hopes of giving the kids some sense of stability
Volunteers have created a pop-up school on a downtown sidewalk in hopes of giving the kids some sense of stability
"One, two, three, four ..." Tito, an asylum-seeker from Cuba, counts in Spanish in front of a group of children attending the sidewalk school recently.
He fled his native Cuba because he feared being persecuted for being gay, and he asked that we not use his last name.
He fled his native Cuba because he feared being persecuted for being gay, and he asked that we not use his last name.
Back home he works in finance; here he's leading a math class.
He said he can relate to the kids because they're all asylum-seekers, like him. Tens of thousands of migrant families are waiting in Mexican border towns for their day in U.S. immigration court.
He said he can relate to the kids because they're all asylum-seekers, like him. Tens of thousands of migrant families are waiting in Mexican border towns for their day in U.S. immigration court.
School starts with arts and crafts. The children will draw on a paper plate, then outline it with glue and drop glitter. Then they hang their creations from trees.
“I wanted them to see other people appreciate the artwork they did and let them know how important they are, too, even to people who are just walking past and driving by," said Felicia Rangel-Samponaro. "It's beautiful work."
