By Valquiria, The Daily Beast

We followed U.S. law, and asked for asylum. After one night together, I was told, ‘You don’t have any rights here, and you don’t have any rights to stay with your son.’

he Trump Administration claims it has stopped separating families seeking protection and they’re doing all they can to reunite those who remain apart. I would like very much to believe this is true, but it’s hard for me to have hope.

One year ago, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stole my 7-year-old son from me, and confined me in an immigration jail in Texas. There is no word when we will be together again.

I have committed no crime.

My son and I fled Brazil after we received repeated death threats from drug traffickers, who collaborated daily with local police. They said they would kill us no matter where we fled to in Brazil, and would do so “without pity” if we sought help from police. We came to the U.S.A. to request protection from persecution in our home country. We followed U.S. law, and asked for asylum at an official border crossing in El Paso, Texas.

We were together for one night, and the following day they took him away. I begged them not to separate us. They told me, “You don’t have any rights here, and you don’t have any rights to stay with your son.” I was trying not to cry, and asked my son to be strong while he cried for them not to take him. He was scared they were going to hurt him, or me. He begged me not to let them take him, while all I could do was pray helplessly to God to take care of him. I didn’t even know where they were taking him.

I died at that moment. They ripped my heart out of me and my world ended. Not knowing where my son was was the worst feeling a mother could have. How can a mother not have the right to be with her son?

Read the rest of this important story here: One Year Ago, America Stole My 7-Year-Old. I Want Him Back.

TAKE ACTION:

In March, Valquira and her seven-year-old son Abel* fled Brazil and requested asylum in the US after death threats from drug traffickers. US border authorities forcible separated them and continue to detain Valquiria. The extreme anguish she and her son are experiencing may amount to torture. US immigration authorities must immediately free Valquiria while she pursues her asylum claim.

Source: Urgent Action: Mother and Son Separated by Border Authorities (USA: UA 185.18) – Amnesty International USA