Last fall, we shared a story with you and all our supporters about Pascual, then 8 years old, from Guatemala. We got involved because the government was trying to terminate his parents’ parental rights and put him up for adoption. We stepped in. We spent thousands of dollars and worked countless hours fighting for Pascual, and we’re pleased to report that we succeeded. He was reunited with his parents!
Credit: Cindy Karp for The Washington Post.
In May 2019, Pascual’s parents made the difficult choice to send him to the United States for better educational opportunities, but in November of that year, Pascual’s cousin was deported back to Guatemala.
Pascual was then placed in Florida’s foster care system, where he spent months despite his wishes to return to his parents. His parents didn’t know where he was or how to reach him. The government attempted to terminate Pascual’s parents’ rights and put Pascual up for adoption. Permanently taking a child away from their parents is one of the cruelest things our government could do. Read more about his story in the Washington Post.
We stepped in—and it was your support that made our intervention possible.
In the advent of a new administration, we’re all hopeful for what the future will bring for vulnerable children and their families like Pascual’s who have experienced tremendous suffering in our country’s cruel immigration system.
But what happened to Pascual can still happen to other children today as long as this system persists.
Help us protect migrant children—make a donation to support our work.
The government has many outstanding promises to keep—we intend to hold them to their word as we work to ensure every migrant child is protected forever from the traumas of detention and family separation. Each Step Home