Mirian G., an asylum seeker from Honduras, was separated from her 18-month-old child for more than two months. She is part of the American Civil Liberties Union's class-action lawsuit challenging the government's practice of separating children from their families. Since Mirian is currently seeking asylum, she does not wish to disclose her full name for security reasons. The views expressed in this commentary are her own.

(CNN) I came to the United States on February 20, 2018, to seek political asylum. As I walked across the international bridge, which connects Brownsville, Texas, to Matamoros, Mexico, I felt fear rising in my throat.

I was walking toward an uncertain future. At the same time, I was leaving behind a life of known danger. I had fled my home country of Honduras with my 18-month-old son after government violence threatened our lives. Now, with my baby in my arms, I was approaching a US port of entry to seek refuge.

I knew that the asylum process could take a long time, and that it was possible that my son and I would be detained while we waited for a judge to decide our futures.

I never could have imagined they would take him away from me. But soon I discovered how the US immigration system truly works.

After I told the officers that I was here to seek asylum, they brought me into a room and asked me questions about why I had come to the United States. I told them of the danger that I had faced in Honduras -- resulting from a military crackdown against protests following a contested presidential election. Each day people were disappearing; I fled just after the military tear-gassed our home.

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