(NewsNation) — A 4-year-old girl from Honduras found alone at the border in November was safely reunited with her mother this month, but thousands more unaccompanied children remain in limbo.
The young girl was found by Texas state troopers holding just a note stating “Mama Paty” and a phone number. Her mother, already living in South Carolina, told NewsNation she had paid smugglers in Honduras to bring her daughter to the U.S.
“They were endless days for me. I couldn’t sleep at night. I was just waiting for a message, a call, someone to tell me if my daughter was okay. It was too much time,” Paty, the girl’s mother, told NewsNation in Spanish.
The little girl was held in federal custody for over a month while officials worked to verify her mother’s identity and ensure her safety. Paty said her daughter was covered in lice when she was reunited with her in Savannah, Georgia, at the airport.
It was an emotional reuniting, Paty said.
“Today, I’m finally with you,” the girl told her mother, adding, “Mommy, don’t leave me alone again, don’t leave me alone again.”
Paty and her daughter were deported to Honduras three years ago after crossing illegally into the U.S. with the help of a smuggler. Paty later tried to cross again, but this time without her daughter, who stayed with her grandparents.
Last November, she contacted smugglers again but never imagined the challenges they would face.
With Inauguration Day approaching, the border crisis continues for thousands of unaccompanied children who are still arriving, sparking concerns over safety and family reunification.
Over 6,600 children remain in federal custody as of December 2024, facing weeks of uncertainty as officials work to place them with vetted sponsors.
These children have an average stay of 34 days, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is responsible for their care, works to provide temporary shelter, medical care and case management services while locating vetted family members or sponsors.
Many of these minors face dangerous risks, from cartel exploitation to emotional trauma, while exposing the growing pressure on the U.S. immigration system to keep children safe.
Now, those who have safely reached the U.S. are living in fear of possible deportation under the incoming Trump administration, which has promised the largest deportation effort in U.S. history.
Paty said the living conditions in Honduras remain extremely difficult, and she fears returning.
“Everything we’ve been through would have been for nothing. All the risk my daughter took — a big risk since she was traveling alone — would have been for nothing. It would be devastating if Donald Trump were to deport me or deport both of us together,” she said.
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