Family Reunification
The Crisis

Photo credit: Kyle Grillot for Al Otro Lado
When the U.S. government forcibly separated thousands of families at the U.S. - Mexico border in 2017 and 2018, Justice in Motion mobilized to defend the rights of parents deported without their children. From the earliest days of the crisis to today, our team and Defender Network has been a lifeline – working across borders to help families in Central America and Mexico pursue every possible path to reunification, justice, and healing.
Explore our interactive timeline to see how Justice in Motion has reunited families and stood by them every step of the way.
Click the dots to view key milestones and actions we've taken to help reunite families.
2017-2018
January 2018
April
May - June
July-August
July 2017
2018-2021
Justice in Motion provides ongoing local assistance in Central America and Mexico to locate families no one else can find and collaborates with legal services providers in the U.S. to make sure families have access to any available remedies that offer protection, reparations and healing. We connect those who wish to pursue justice for rights violations with legal support in the U.S, and provide essential support to efforts that enable several dozen parents with asylum claims to return to the U.S. With few options available for the vast majority of families to reunify in safety, our work makes sure that parents have a say in what happens to their children. For parents who choose to reunite with their children in their home countries, Defenders accompany families through the child repatriation process.

Justice in Motion Defender Eriberto Pop Cán interviews a separated father in Guatemala.
2021-2023
March
Feb.
2021
2023-Present
Justice in Motion continues to provide critical support for separated families to ensure that all eligible families can access the court-ordered remedies provided through the Ms. L. v. ICE settlement. The deadline to sign up for the remedy is December 2026. As the families’ three-year humanitarian parole status ends, we stand to support the families as they seek permanent status through various immigration avenues like asylum.
The Fight to Reunite: Stories of Cross-Border Justice
VICE
NGOs are using flyers and radio to find Guatemalan parents deported without their kids
August 10, 2018
The Unreachables | VICE on SHOWTIME
May 23, 2020
The Washington Post
June 26, 2021
Reuters
Split up at the U.S.-Mexico Border Family Finally Reunites
January 31, 2022
Al Jazeera
The Return: How Trump’s Border Policies Tore a Family Apart
Justice in Motion helped to reunite the family featured in this short film
October 21, 2024
How You Can Help

Photo credit: Kyle Grillot for Al Otro Lado
Families separated at the border deserve to be reunited – and they need your help to make that possible.
Your donation helps us find deported parents, reunite families, and provide critical support as they rebuild their lives. You’ll also power our broader mission to protect migrant rights through cross-border collaboration and advocacy.