"Alexandra Alvarez anxiously waited on the second floor of LaGuardia Airport on Dec. 5, holding her baby girl Mia just minutes away from midnight when the tot would turn one. She peered past the baggage claim conveyor belt and the hustle and bustle of the airport, fixing her attention to an escalator. Alvarez longed for the mere glimpse of her husband, Manuel Mejia Hernandez."
"After a long legal battle and weeks of despair, Hernandez finally descended the escalator that Friday night. He was still wearing the same clothes he had on the day he was detained. A bittersweet reunion, which could only be described as a Christmas miracle, soon followed. Alvarez pointed Hernandez out to Mia. He rushed to the baby and instantly kissed her cheek, but she did not recognize him for her, Papa had already been away for too long to remember his face."
Manuel Mejia Hernandez was detained by ICE on Oct. 22 inside 26 Federal Plaza and transported to a detention center in Arizona despite having no outstanding criminal record. His wife, Alexandra Alvarez, waited anxiously at LaGuardia Airport on Dec. 5 holding their daughter Mia just minutes before the child's first birthday. After a long legal battle and weeks of despair, Hernandez descended an escalator still wearing the same clothes from the day of his detention. The toddler did not immediately recognize her father, but he scooped her up and the couple embraced in a tearful reunion beneath the airport's glittering Christmas tree. Alvarez said she felt a weight lifted and expressed gratitude.
Read at www.amny.com
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