KQED is a proud member of
Save ArticleSave Article
upper waypoint
KPCC

PHOTOS: Father and Son Reunite at LAX After Federal Agents Separated Them

02:46
Sharon McNary
Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

Unauthorized Guatemalan immigrant Hermelindo Che Coc hugs his son, Jefferson, 6, after the pair were reunited at LAX following a 48-day separation forced by a change in federal immigration policy. (SHARON MCNARY/KPCC)

An unauthorized Guatemalan immigrant father and son, separated by federal agents at the Mexican border in late May, are finally back together.

Forty-eight days after Hermelindo Che Coc last saw his six-year-old son, Jefferson, the pair was reunited at Los Angeles International Airport Saturday night.

Jefferson Jacinto Che Pop arrives with an escort of airline employees to meet his father on July 14, 2018, after they were separated for 48 days. The boy, age 6, had been held at a shelter in the Bronx, New York, since late May when he and his father, Hermelindo Che Coc, were separated.
Jefferson Jacinto Che Pop arrives with an escort of airline employees to meet his father on July 14, 2018, after they were separated for 48 days. The boy, age 6, had been held at a shelter in the Bronx, New York, since late May when he and his father, Hermelindo Che Coc, were separated. (SHARON MCNARY/KPCC)

Immigration officers took Jefferson away one day after father and son were detained in Texas. The father was released in late June. But Jefferson has been held at a shelter in the Bronx, New York.

Following a public outcry and the intervention of immigration rights lawyers and a federal judge, Jefferson was put on a flight alone to L.A.

Hermelindo Che Coc, an unauthorized immigrant from Guatemala, greets his son Jefferson at Los Angeles International Airport on July 14, 2018. The pair were apprehended in Texas and separated for 48 days under the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy.
Hermelindo Che Coc, an unauthorized immigrant from Guatemala, greets his son Jefferson at Los Angeles International Airport on July 14, 2018. The pair were apprehended in Texas and separated for 48 days under the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy. (SHARON MCNARY/KPCC)

His dad, short and stocky, crushed the slight boy in his arms and sobbed.

Hermelindo Che Coc, 31, from Guatemala, awaits his son's arrival at LAX after they had been separated by U.S. immigration agents for 48 days. Che Coc was released in late June, but his six-year-old son was held until July 14, 2018 in a shelter in the Bronx, New York.
Hermelindo Che Coc, 31, from Guatemala, awaits his son's arrival at LAX after they had been separated by U.S. immigration agents for 48 days. Che Coc was released in late June, but his six-year-old son was held until July 14, 2018 in a shelter in the Bronx, New York. (SHARON MCNARY/KPCC)

A federal judge gave officials until July 26 to reunite the children with their families.

Sponsored

But the only date that matters to Hermelinda Che Coc is July 20, when Jefferson has his seventh birthday at home in Azusa with family.

Hermelindo Che Coc carries his 6-year-old son Jefferson to an airport lounge after the pair were reunited at LAX following a forced separation for 48 days. Che Coc was held in Texas while his son was taken to a shelter in the Bronx, New York.
Hermelindo Che Coc carries his 6-year-old son Jefferson to an airport lounge after the pair were reunited at LAX following a forced separation for 48 days. Che Coc was held in Texas while his son was taken to a shelter in the Bronx, New York. (SHARON MCNARY/KPCC)

lower waypoint
next waypoint
Alameda: The Island That Almost Wasn’tFresno's Chinatown Neighborhood To See Big Changes From High Speed RailJust Days Left to Apply for California Program That Helps Pay for Your First HouseIn Fresno’s Chinatown, High-Speed Rail Sparks Hope and Debate Within ResidentsRainn Wilson from ‘The Office’ on Why We Need a Spiritual RevolutionCalifornia Law Letting Property Owners Split Lots to Build New Homes Is 'Unconstitutional,' Judge RulesWill Less Homework Stress Make California Students Happier?Silicon Valley House Seat Race Gets a RecountWorried About Data Brokers in California? Here’s How to Protect Yourself OnlineCalifornia Lawmakers Advance Proposal to Offer Unemployment Insurance to Striking Workers