At South LA parish, tears flow at a reunion decades in the making
Twenty-two years ago, Maria Perez Cardenas’ 16-year-old son set out from their hometown in Jalisco, Mexico, to find work in the United States.
His quest was successful, and over the years he got married, had children, and carved out a life for himself in a new country.
Cardenas kept in touch with him as best as she could through phone calls and video chats. But seeing him in person was out of the question: she lacked the legal documents to visit him in California, and he lacked legal documents to return to Mexico.
After several failed attempts, she recently secured a visa through a special program that helps seniors from Jalisco reconnect with their families in the U.S.