The four-year-old boy and his 18-month-old sister have been looked after by Fr Vidal Rivas of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Hyattsville, Maryland after their mum was detained last week.
Fr Vidal who has become the designated standby guardian for 26 children, whose parents are at risk of detention or deportation, told NBC 4 Washington News: “Truly, the suffering is great. You can see the pain in the children – the pain of not having their mother.”
He revealed that the mother’s detention was unexpected as “she was doing things right”. Rivas said he didn’t want to use her name due to privacy concerns.
Immigration attorney Kelley Ortega shared that she has seen more migrant parents having to plan in advance for potential separations.
“’Devastating’ I think is the best word because it's not a situation that a parent looks forward to, having to look for these types of documents or look to make these preparations. You know, they do so in great fear,” she said.
Fr Vidal and his wife have pledged to help children in crisis and said that the Church has been a great support. "Everyone is approaching the priest asking, ‘How can I help?'" he said.
The detained mother of two hopes she will be released and reunited with her children, Rivas said. He added, if she is deported, her wish would be for Rivas to bring the children to her in her home country.
She’s due in court on Thursday, when there could be an update on whether she will remain in detention.
Fr Vidal said he and his wife will continue to be guardians for migrants’ children as long as they’re needed. “It’s truly as if they were your own children,” he said.