Thousands of children have been separated from their parents and put into separate detention facilities. It's a story making national headlines.
7 action news reporter Alan Campbell lived along the southern border in Texas for years. He's seen and reported on immigration issues in the past.
I lived in the Rio Grande Valley for four years, and worked as the morning anchor at an ABC affiliate. I have friends there. Some are Border Patrol agents, others work for Customs and border protection.
Seeing children being separated from their families at the border is heart wrenching. Then taken to detention facilities throughout the Rio Grande Valley.
Many undocumented immigrants swim across the Rio Grande, many never make it to the U.S side. Others simply wait along bridges from the State of Tamaulipas, waiting for asylum.
I spoke with a few friends via FaceTime about what is happening there now, and what President Trump's executive order means moving forward, and if we can expect to see more stories of hurt, anguish and pain.
"We’re trying our best to deal with our job to help the families," said Sister Norma Pimentel, who works with Catholic Charities. "It's an organization dedicated to helping those in need.
"You see, the child in some cases, there’s some sense of trauma they may have experienced," Pimentel said. "Anybody being separated from their mom will feel worries about whether or not I’ll see my mother again,"
My first story along the border was reporting on more than 70 undocumented immigrants living in an orchard. All men, women and young children.
Right now, thousand of children are separated from their parents. They’re staying in detention facilities under the watchful eye of Border Patrol.
"We’re right in the middle of one big surge right now," Chris Cabrera, with the National Border Patrol Council. "One of our evening shifts just at my station, we’ll see on a slow day 150 people, and that’s just in an 8 to 10 hour shift."
Cabrera was busy rescuing people from recent flooding in Southern Texas when I called him, but says agents are working around the clock.
"We don’t have the man power that's needed to make it run efficiently as far as securing the border and making sure everything is processed in a timely manner," Cabrera said. "But our agents manage to get it done anyway,"
President Trump is working to keep families together. He recently signed an executive order putting a halt to the family separation policy.
"Changes on the executive order to not separate the families is wonderful. I’m glad that took place," said Sister Norma Pimentel
For now, all we can do is watch. Watch what is happening and hope something can be done
"There’s a process to follow to identify their family to make sure that they manage to take care of the child the best way they can," Pimentel said. "And I think it will continue to happen with these kids who were separated and at some point hopefully be reunited with their parents."
