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Photos: Migrant mother prays not to be sent back

Irma Rivera is praying.She prays that her husband, Jose, who was murdered in Houndorus, is “in a good place.” She prays to be strong for her kids in this new country, to live long enough to see them grow up. She prays for the family members she left behind.Rivera views her new life with conflicting emotions. For their first year in the United States, she and the children were guests in a relative’s house, and she constantly worried they were outstaying their welcome. Recently, she and her sister, who arrived from Honduras a few months ago, rented a small apartment together.

Updated on: Oct 11, 2019 11:00 AM IST

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Irma Rivera, an asylum-seeker from Honduras, prepares her son Jesus for church at their home in Fort Worth, Texas. Irma’s husband, Jose, was murdered back home. Still grieving for her husband, she has struggled to adjust to American life. Every time something new happens, “I want to tell him about it.” She has arrived with straightforward expectations. “I thought the children would go to school, and I’d work, and I’d get settled,” she said. (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

Updated on Oct 11, 2019 11:00 AM

Irma Rivera, an asylum-seeker from Honduras, prepares her son Jesus for church at their home in Fort Worth, Texas. Irma’s husband, Jose, was murdered back home. Still grieving for her husband, she has struggled to adjust to American life. Every time something new happens, “I want to tell him about it.” She has arrived with straightforward expectations. “I thought the children would go to school, and I’d work, and I’d get settled,” she said. (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

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Rivera sits on the front porch of the family home as the children play. She views her new life with conflicting emotions. For their first year in the United States, she and the children were guests in a relative’s house, and she constantly worried they were outstaying their welcome. Recently, she and her sister, who arrived from Honduras a few months ago, rented a small apartment together. (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

Updated on Oct 11, 2019 11:00 AM

Rivera sits on the front porch of the family home as the children play. She views her new life with conflicting emotions. For their first year in the United States, she and the children were guests in a relative’s house, and she constantly worried they were outstaying their welcome. Recently, she and her sister, who arrived from Honduras a few months ago, rented a small apartment together. (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

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After walking thousands of miles north through Guatemala and Mexico, where in the spring they sought protection in a caravan, the three asked for U.S. asylum in May 2018 at the port of entry near San Diego, California. They spent three weeks in U.S. custody, then convinced an immigration official they had a “credible fear” of returning home. They were released pending court hearings to decide their fate - a process that could take years. (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

Updated on Oct 11, 2019 11:00 AM

After walking thousands of miles north through Guatemala and Mexico, where in the spring they sought protection in a caravan, the three asked for U.S. asylum in May 2018 at the port of entry near San Diego, California. They spent three weeks in U.S. custody, then convinced an immigration official they had a “credible fear” of returning home. They were released pending court hearings to decide their fate - a process that could take years. (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

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According to an asylum officer’s notes, Rivera told the officer in May 2018 that her husband, a farmer, was murdered by field workers after he threatened to report them to authorities for stealing valuable palm fruit from the land he tilled. In the fertile Bajo Aguan region where the family lived, a violent conflict is raging over land rights. The area has been flagged by Human Rights Watch as an epicenter of murders “with impunity.” (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

Updated on Oct 11, 2019 11:00 AM

According to an asylum officer’s notes, Rivera told the officer in May 2018 that her husband, a farmer, was murdered by field workers after he threatened to report them to authorities for stealing valuable palm fruit from the land he tilled. In the fertile Bajo Aguan region where the family lived, a violent conflict is raging over land rights. The area has been flagged by Human Rights Watch as an epicenter of murders “with impunity.” (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

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After the murder, “everything fell apart for me,” Rivera said. The same group that killed her husband – never apprehended by police - threatened the rest of the family, forcing her to sell their house and flee with the children. Since then, she has heard, her village has only become more dangerous, and even more families are making their way north. (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

Updated on Oct 11, 2019 11:00 AM

After the murder, “everything fell apart for me,” Rivera said. The same group that killed her husband – never apprehended by police - threatened the rest of the family, forcing her to sell their house and flee with the children. Since then, she has heard, her village has only become more dangerous, and even more families are making their way north. (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

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She is not yet able to work legally, and has struggled to make rent and pay lawyers’ fees. She relies in part on the generosity of family and friends. Recently an American woman asked her a question in English and she was embarrassed because she couldn’t understand, let alone reply. Her kids miss Honduras, too - the many children in their extended family, not to mention their dog, Rocky. (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

Updated on Oct 11, 2019 11:00 AM

She is not yet able to work legally, and has struggled to make rent and pay lawyers’ fees. She relies in part on the generosity of family and friends. Recently an American woman asked her a question in English and she was embarrassed because she couldn’t understand, let alone reply. Her kids miss Honduras, too - the many children in their extended family, not to mention their dog, Rocky. (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

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But they are adapting, faster than she is. Suany, who attends a bilingual school, speaks both English and Spanish with her new friends. Jesus has learned a few words and phrases, among them: “What is your name? What are you doing?” And: “Car!” (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

Updated on Oct 11, 2019 11:00 AM

But they are adapting, faster than she is. Suany, who attends a bilingual school, speaks both English and Spanish with her new friends. Jesus has learned a few words and phrases, among them: “What is your name? What are you doing?” And: “Car!” (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

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Rivera watched the news in August about the white supremacist in El Paso who targeted immigrants and Latinos in a mass shooting. “It’s racism,” she said - something she worries about but says she has never experienced in this country. (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

Updated on Oct 11, 2019 11:00 AM

Rivera watched the news in August about the white supremacist in El Paso who targeted immigrants and Latinos in a mass shooting. “It’s racism,” she said - something she worries about but says she has never experienced in this country. (Loren Elliott / REUTERS)

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