Laura Ramirez drove down to Fountain Valley from Sacramento with one thing in mind – seeing her parents for the first time in almost 25 years.
Ramirez was among dozens who gathered at a Curacao store in Fountain Valley to reunite with elderly family members from Jalisco, Mexico. The visit was made possible through a partnership Curacao has with Fundación Jalisco USA, a nonprofit dedicated to bettering the social, economic and educational development of people from the Mexican state.
After 24 years, Gerardo Ruelas Gonzalez is reunited with his parents from Mexico, Andrea Gonzalez Alonso and Felipe Ruelas Perez in Fountain Valley on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. Twenty-five families took part in the reunification event that was sponsored by Curacao and Fundacion Jalisco USA, a non-profit organization that aims to better the social, economic, and educational development of people from the Mexican state of Jalisco. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Andrea Gonzalez Alonso is emotional after arriving from Mexico and being reunited with her son, Gerardo Ruelas Gonzalez, after not seeing him for 24 years. The event in Fountain Valley on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 was sponsored by Curacao and Fundacion Jalisco USA. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Emily Velasco, 8, waits with anticipation and a bouquet of flowers for her grandma to arrive from Mexico during a reunification event sponsored by Curacao and Fundacion Jalisco USA in Fountain Valley on Tuesday, October 24, 2023.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
After years and even decades of not seeing their loved ones living in the U.S., 25 Mexican families arrive in Fountain Valley on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, to be reunited. The event was sponsored by Curacao and Fundacion Jalisco USA, a non-profit organization that aims to better the social, economic, and educational development of people from the state of Jalisco. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Families wait in Fountain Valley on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, to finally see their loved ones who arrived from Mexico. The reunification event, sponsored by Curacao and Fundacion Jalisco USA, joined 25 families with relatives many had not seen in more than two decades. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Families wait with gifts for their loved ones to arrive from Mexico. Curacao and Fundacion Jalisco USA, a non-profit organization that aims to better the social, economic, and educational development of people from the state of Jalisco, sponsored the event in Fountain Valley on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Martha Lara arrives from Mexico and gets the first look at her relatives living in the U.S., including two sons she had not seen in 2o years. The reunification event in Fountain Valley on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, was sponsored by Curacao and Fundacion Jalisco USA . (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Maria de Jesus Medina Reulas meets her granddaughter, held by her son-in-law, Humberto Gonzalez, for the first time after arriving from Mexico on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 in Fountain Valley. Curacao and Fundacion Jalisco USA reunited 25 families with long-lost relatives living in Mexico.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Twenty-five families who were reunited with their loved ones from Mexico in Fountain Valley on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, gather for a group photo after their reunion. The event was sponsored by Curacao and Fundacion Jalisco USA, (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Families wait in Fountain Valley on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, to finally see their loved ones who arrived from Mexico. The reunification event, sponsored by Curacao and Fundacion Jalisco USA, joined 25 families with relatives many had not seen in more than two decades. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
David Saldana is embraced by his grandma, Martha Lara, after not seeing her for ten years. Twenty-five families from Mexico were reunited with relatives in Fountain Valley on Tuesday, October 24, 2023. Curacao and Fundacion Jalisco USA sponsored the event. Some family members had not seen their loved ones for more than two decades. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The store hosted the reunion in its home furniture section, with waiting families sitting at the dining room tables. Germán Salazar Mauricio, an immigration lawyer with the nonprofit, played the emcee for the event, calling up each family one at a time, asking questions to draw out the suspense as their arriving family members were brought out from where they had been hidden behind a divider.
He asked Ramirez what she was feeling seconds away from seeing her parents again after moving from Mexico to Sacramento 24 years ago. She had few words to offer, saying simply “emocionada.” For her daughter standing with her it was going to be the first time she met her grandparents in person; they were also meeting their great grandson for the first time.
As her parents emerged from the backdrop, Ramirez went straight for her mom, the two hugging and crying; her father embraced his granddaughter for a long moment, talking quietly into her ear.
Then they stepped aside so the reunions could continue.
“The hugs after so long. The tears of happiness, sadness and joy,” Mauricio said. “That’s it. That’s dreams coming true.”
One by one, 25 families, many with balloons and flowers, welcomed their loved ones.
Soon Ramirez was taking her father’s suitcase to put in the car for the ride home as Francisco Ramirez Perez said, “Thank God that we finally can see each other. I feel nostalgic and passionate. We’re overcome with emotion because of so many years not seeing everyone.”
The Reuniting Families program is designed specifically for elders ages 57 and older who have children living in the United States. Fundación Jalisco USA helps them apply for their U.S. visas, which allow them to visit for one month before they return to Mexico. The program also supports the participants in applying for longer-term visas in the future.
The program almost sounded too good to be true, said Arturo Ramos, who along with his brother, hadn’t seen his parents in more than 20 years.
“I think at first I had my doubts because of scams, but the process was really straightforward,” Ramos said, adding that programs that support family reunification are crucial. Navigating immigration can be so difficult for families who aren’t experienced with visas and the rules.
Benjamin Estrada, general manager at the Curacao store, said he will never grow tired of seeing family members brought back together. This was the sixth round of reunions he’s hosted at the store.
“The program is really important, especially for most of the people who haven’t seen their parents for so long,” Estrada said. “But really, the takeaway is how a lot of times we don’t really appreciate that we could see our parents every day. When you see this, it gets people to appreciate their elders more.”
