On Graduation Day Student Meets With Deported Father At The Border

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Saraí Ruíz, an 18-year-old student, has melted the networks with her heartbreaking story by revealing what she did to be able to meet her father on the day of her graduation because he could not accompany her because he had been deported. Now the photo of father and daughter hugging at the dividing line has gone viral.

"While looking at my mother that day while the director was speaking, I couldn't help but see the parents of other boys who were there for their children and not a single mother," the teenager told NBC after the publication of her post., posted on Facebook on May 25.

In this message the young woman said: “When we had to say hello to the parents, I tried with all my might not to cry knowing that only my mother was there. I knew that my dad could never see me receive my diploma, so I thought that today I could surprise him crossing the bridge so that he could see me with my cap and gown”.

The photo that accompanied the message showed Saraí facing the camera and his father with his back turned. She was dressed in a cap and gown and was wiping away tears as she hugged her father.

Esteban Ruíz was deported to Mexico when Saraí was 4 years old and since then the family has lived separated by the border. For this reason, when his daughter's ceremony arrived at Hector J. Garcia Early College High School, the man was unable to cross the Laredo border bridge.

The original post by Saraí Ruiz, which to date has been shared on networks more than 36,000 times:

"I gave him a big hug, and I started crying a lot," said the young woman. "It's like I fulfilled my mom and dad's dreams of finding better opportunities than they had."

The teenager explained that she could see her parent only on special days, such as Father's Day, but contact became more frequent when the family moved to Laredo. "I could see it every weekend [later] we bought a house and I could see it every day," Saraí explained in the post. “I can say that even though we wasted father and daughter time… I will always be grateful for the sacrifice she makes of putting her life in danger just to be able to see me again. Thanks for everything, Dad.”

According to the Pew Research Center, 396,579 people were deported during the 2018 fiscal year by the administration of President Donald Trump.