Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
SLIDESHOW: Father-son reunite at LAX after federal agents separated them
Listen
• 1:09
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
)
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
)
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
)
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
)
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
)
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.
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.
Support for LAist comes from
His dad, short and stocky, crushed the slight boy in his arms and sobbed.
A federal judge gave officials until July 26 to reunite the children with their families.
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.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline. -
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs.
-
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
Best of LAist