Family Separations
A family separated at the border and reunited in Guatemala receives an unexpected chance to return to the US.
A family separated at the US border and expelled gets an unexpected chance to return to the USA. Filmed over six years, this story reveals the human toll of shifting US immigration policies.
When the US border separation policy takes effect, 12-year-old Geovanny is taken from his father and detained for six months. Though reunited with his family in Guatemala, he is no longer the same. Once a star student, he drops out of school. His father Miguel reflects. “When he came back, he didn’t want to study anymore. It’s not that he’s angry. Maybe he’s hurt by what’s going on.” Struggling with debt from their failed journey, Miguel fears losing his land—and his life. An unexpected call from the US changes everything. “We were given a gift to be able to come here. I am happy. I’m not making a lot of money. But we are truly learning from this experience,” he says. For Geovanny’s grandmother Manuela, the separation was agonizing. “I worried about you. I was always thinking about you… It was like I was missing one of my own hands.”
FULL SYNOPSIS