The City of Philadelphia and Mi Casa es Puebla Passaic-Nueva York, hosted a welcoming ceremony at Philadelphia City Hall on November 16 to receive the beneficiaries of the family reunification program sponsored by the state of Puebla Mexico.
Immigrants who live in Philadelphia and South Jersey and are native to Puebla, Mexico are eligible to apply to this for this program. Twenty-five of their elderly parents and grandparents were selected to come to the US after being granted a visa for this purpose.
The seniors flying in from Puebla, who are all over the age of 60, they are having the opportunity to live with their children and grandchildren for three weeks and then return back to Mexico. All of the program expenses, costs for visas, and arrangements for flights were fully covered by the Government of the Mexican State of Puebla.
“Even with social media and telephone connections available for these families, nothing compares to the feeling of a warm, soothing hug of a loved one,” said Ana Flores, executive director of Mi Casa es Puebla Passaic-Nueva York. “Nothing brings more satisfaction to the Government of Puebla than to be a vehicle that reunites these families and to be building bridges instead of walls.”
Attended Alicia Kerber Palma, Consul of Mexico in Philadelphia, Miriam Enriquez, Office of Immigrant Affairs for the City of Philadelphia and representing the governor of the State of Puebla, Ricardo Herrera, General Director of the Puebla Institute of Migrant Assistance and the Executive Director of Mi Casa es Puebla, Ana Flores.
(Photo credits: Mi Casa es Puebla)
