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Photos: Brief reunions at ‘Hugs Not Walls’ event along US-Mexico border

Hundreds of families were given a brief but cherished opportunity over this weekend to meet family members separated by migration or deportation in El Paso, Texas. During the event, named "Hugs Not Walls" nearly three hundred families from Ciudad Juarez, in Mexico and El Paso came together at the US-Mexico border to hug and embrace each other for three minutes each. Some were meeting long separated parents or children and others were introduced to young family members born in separation.

Updated on: May 15, 2018 1:25 PM IST

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Marcelino Pizarro hugged his family members for three minutes seeing them for the first time since he jumped the fence into the United States from Mexico six years ago. The undocumented migrant was at an event with hundreds of other families with mixed immigration status who were reunited with relatives in a “hugs not walls” meeting arranged by Texas-based advocacy group, Border Network for Human Rights. (Lucas Jackson / REUTERS )

Updated on May 15, 2018 1:25 PM

Marcelino Pizarro hugged his family members for three minutes seeing them for the first time since he jumped the fence into the United States from Mexico six years ago. The undocumented migrant was at an event with hundreds of other families with mixed immigration status who were reunited with relatives in a “hugs not walls” meeting arranged by Texas-based advocacy group, Border Network for Human Rights. (Lucas Jackson / REUTERS )

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A neighbourhood is seen from a hill in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Pizarro, 36, says he fled his homeland because of insecurity. He worked in a juvenile detention facility where said he received death threats from inmates. A brother lost his life at the hands of an organized crime gang, he said. “It was just part of life.” (Jose Luis Gonzalez / REUTERS)

Updated on May 15, 2018 1:25 PM

A neighbourhood is seen from a hill in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Pizarro, 36, says he fled his homeland because of insecurity. He worked in a juvenile detention facility where said he received death threats from inmates. A brother lost his life at the hands of an organized crime gang, he said. “It was just part of life.” (Jose Luis Gonzalez / REUTERS)

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Pizarro has five children, two of whom live with him in El Paso where he now works odd jobs. His other children, including his 18-year-old daughter Fatima Paola, live in Mexico. (Lucas Jackson / REUTERS)

Updated on May 15, 2018 1:25 PM

Pizarro has five children, two of whom live with him in El Paso where he now works odd jobs. His other children, including his 18-year-old daughter Fatima Paola, live in Mexico. (Lucas Jackson / REUTERS)

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Denisse Pizarro (L), her sister Fatima Paola Pizarro and Fatima’s daughter walk back from a neighbourhood store. “I would see my friends, my cousins, all with their dads and I would get sad and cry. I wish he could have been here as I grew up,” said Fatima, who now has a daughter of her own, Aitana, who her father met for the first time at the event. (REUTERS)

Updated on May 15, 2018 1:25 PM

Denisse Pizarro (L), her sister Fatima Paola Pizarro and Fatima’s daughter walk back from a neighbourhood store. “I would see my friends, my cousins, all with their dads and I would get sad and cry. I wish he could have been here as I grew up,” said Fatima, who now has a daughter of her own, Aitana, who her father met for the first time at the event. (REUTERS)

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Marcelino Pizarro (R) holds his granddaughter, Aitana, for the first time while meeting his family members during the ‘Hugs not Walls’ event. “I wouldn’t trade anything for these moments. We have to enjoy them as long as we can,” Pizarro said as he carried his granddaughter in his arms. (Lucas Jackson / REUTERS)

Updated on May 15, 2018 1:25 PM

Marcelino Pizarro (R) holds his granddaughter, Aitana, for the first time while meeting his family members during the ‘Hugs not Walls’ event. “I wouldn’t trade anything for these moments. We have to enjoy them as long as we can,” Pizarro said as he carried his granddaughter in his arms. (Lucas Jackson / REUTERS)

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The fifth event of its kind saw the reunions take place at the river boundary that separates the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, from El Paso, Texas. At the event more than 300 families all donned blue shirts, while their counterparts from the Mexican side wore white to ensure no one tried to slip across. The reunions were approved by US government agencies. (Lucas Jackson / REUTERS)

Updated on May 15, 2018 1:25 PM

The fifth event of its kind saw the reunions take place at the river boundary that separates the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, from El Paso, Texas. At the event more than 300 families all donned blue shirts, while their counterparts from the Mexican side wore white to ensure no one tried to slip across. The reunions were approved by US government agencies. (Lucas Jackson / REUTERS)

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Marcelino’s brother Ramon Pizarro, 51, took the opportunity to tell the family some news: he would use his job as a taxi driver to petition for a visiting visa and be able to see his brother more often. (Jose Luis Gonzalez / REUTERS)

Updated on May 15, 2018 1:25 PM

Marcelino’s brother Ramon Pizarro, 51, took the opportunity to tell the family some news: he would use his job as a taxi driver to petition for a visiting visa and be able to see his brother more often. (Jose Luis Gonzalez / REUTERS)

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Alejandra Aguilar prepares a poster to bring to an upcoming reunification event. Trump has made cracking down on undocumented migrants as well as toughening legal migration a centerpiece of his administration, while pushing for a border wall with Mexico. He has repeatedly linked illegal immigration to crime but immigrant defenders say many are fleeing due to poverty and violence. (Lucas Jackson / REUTERS)

Updated on May 15, 2018 1:25 PM

Alejandra Aguilar prepares a poster to bring to an upcoming reunification event. Trump has made cracking down on undocumented migrants as well as toughening legal migration a centerpiece of his administration, while pushing for a border wall with Mexico. He has repeatedly linked illegal immigration to crime but immigrant defenders say many are fleeing due to poverty and violence. (Lucas Jackson / REUTERS)

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With many other families waiting, organizers soon told them time was up, and they said their goodbyes, not knowing when they might meet again. “The hardest part is that it’s over,” Pizarro said. “We have to accept it, but it’s hard.” (Lucas Jackson / REUTERS)

Updated on May 15, 2018 1:25 PM

With many other families waiting, organizers soon told them time was up, and they said their goodbyes, not knowing when they might meet again. “The hardest part is that it’s over,” Pizarro said. “We have to accept it, but it’s hard.” (Lucas Jackson / REUTERS)

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