By Jan Olsen
Once at the bus station, a father and son were dropped off from the Karnes Detention Center. I could tell immediately that the father was very stressed. He shared with us that he and his son had been separated from his wife and baby girl shortly after crossing the border, and he had no idea where they were. I tried to find them through the locator website, but to no avail. I called a RAICES volunteer who had spent a lot of time in the detention centers and asked if he could help me find this mother.
As it turned out, he was at the Dilley Detention Center that day. He said he would try to find her and set up a phone call which usually takes five to seven days. It turned out that she was right there in Dilley. He called me back and said he was going to try and get her on the phone, and for us to stand by.
About two hours later and about 10 minutes prior to the father’s boarding time, my phone rang and the RAICES volunteer said, “I have her here.”
I handed my phone to the father and his son, and they held each other, tears streaming down their faces when they heard the dear voices. They thanked me at least a dozen times, and that father was smiling and laughing with his son as they boarded their bus.
These are the moments that provide some measure of healing for our families and for us.
