Donald Trump's family separation policy has seen more than 5,500 migrant parents separated from their children
telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/0…
telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/0…
Many migrants have nicknamed the US border patrol's notoriously cold holding cells "la hielera", or “the ice box”
In some instances, the only water people have to drink comes from the toilet
One female detainee says, “I remember them telling us we were invading their country"
Xiomara was separated from her daughter more than two years ago.
She remembers how officials began lining the children up in order of their age.
“My daughter wouldn’t let go of my hand. I told her ‘just go’ because I didn't want the officers to pull her from me by force"
She remembers how officials began lining the children up in order of their age.
“My daughter wouldn’t let go of my hand. I told her ‘just go’ because I didn't want the officers to pull her from me by force"
A recent lawsuit revealed that the US government has been unable to locate around 600 parents who were separated from their children at the border 
More than 300 children also cannot be located because they were released to sponsors whose contact information is no longer up to date
Most of the children are believed to be in the United States, while most of the parents were deported to their home countries.
In Xiomara’s case, she was returned to El Salvador a few months after her daughter was taken away
In Xiomara’s case, she was returned to El Salvador a few months after her daughter was taken away
She says the first few weeks were the worst. Unable to sleep, she began hallucinating. “I thought my daughter was talking to me. I listened to her just calling me: ‘Mummy, Mummy’"
Xiomara has since learned that Sofia was released to relatives in California.
She has found her daughter's birthdays particularly hard. “My daughter tells me she doesn't want a cake until I'm there to enjoy it with her"
She has found her daughter's birthdays particularly hard. “My daughter tells me she doesn't want a cake until I'm there to enjoy it with her"
The job of tracking down parents like Xiomara has been taken up by NGOs and migrant advocacy groups.
Cathleen Caron, from @JusticeInMotion, says her colleagues often have little more than a misspelled name and a village to inform their searches
Cathleen Caron, from @JusticeInMotion, says her colleagues often have little more than a misspelled name and a village to inform their searches
Joe Biden, the president-elect, has called the family separation policy "criminal" and pledged to create a task force dedicated to finding and reuniting separated families
"This has been one of the longstanding scars of the Trump administration...I think it will be a strong statement for Biden on day one [of his presidency] to say he's going to bring these families back to be with their children on US soil" - Cathleen Caron
Without that guarantee, even those parents who have been tracked down often face an impossible choice: do they agree to have their child deported back to danger and poverty, or remain separated?
You can read more first-person accounts of Donald Trump's family separation policy in @RozinaSabur's article here ⬇️
telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/0…
telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/0…
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