Carlo and his two daughters never expected to spend Christmas in a crowded migrant shelter. But after they fled Brazil early this year, they ended up at a church-run shelter in Ciudad Ju谩rez.
鈥淭hey had a really beautiful celebration,鈥� he said in Portuguese.
There were decorations, a tree with glittering ornaments, and presents for all the children. Some families pooled their money together to host a big barbeque, and the shelter extended its lights out policy until midnight.
His family attended a service in the shelter鈥檚 chapel, their faces lit up by pink and green candles as they sang.
The girls enjoyed themselves, 鈥渂ut I felt pretty down,鈥� Carlo said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no way to be really happy, in the situation that we鈥檙e in.鈥�
Carlo asked 四虎影院 not to use his full name, because he is still in immigration proceedings.
He and his daughters are stuck in limbo, in Ju谩rez, under a Trump administration policy known as 鈥淩emain in Mexico.鈥� The policy forces asylum seekers to wait in Mexico as their cases play out in U.S. immigration court; those cases are now on indefinite hold, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
四虎影院 first spoke with Carlo as part of our series "The Asylum Trap."
About 23,000 people are currently waiting in Mexico, according to a from Human Rights First.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want this, to be here,鈥� Carlo said.
He and his daughters have passed so many milestones away from his wife, who fled Brazil before the 鈥淩emain in Mexico鈥� policy was in place. She was allowed into the U.S., where she鈥檚 waiting out her case.
The girls miss their mother, and Carlo worries about their safety. Ju谩rez is dangerous, he said, and .
But he sees one glimmer of hope.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have any hope with Donald Trump,鈥� Carlo said. 鈥淲ith Biden, we have hope. An expectation. Now all we can do is wait for the outcome of this situation to see what will happen to all of us here, to me and to my family.鈥�
Like other migrants at the shelter, Carlo has gathered as much information as he can about President-elect Joe Biden鈥檚 stance on 鈥淩emain in Mexico.鈥� He鈥檚 gleaned what he can from news stories, the director of the shelter, and lawyers.
He has this promise to hold onto, but no details.
Biden has said he will end the 鈥淩emain in Mexico鈥� policy, but it鈥檚 unclear what that means for people like Carlo and his daughters. Will they be allowed into the U.S. while they pursue their asylum claims? If so, how and when will they enter the country?
鈥淲hat we've been told is giving us hope, which we didn鈥檛 have before,鈥� Carlo said. 鈥淏ut in the meantime, it鈥檚 just rumors, people saying what they think will happen. We haven鈥檛 been informed of anything concrete.鈥�
Biden briefly addressed immigration at a . He reaffirmed his commitment to undoing Trump鈥檚 border policies, but said it would take time.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to take 鈥� not day one, it鈥檚 going to take probably the next six months to put that in place,鈥� he said.
His administration won鈥檛 immediately 鈥渓ift every restriction that exists,鈥� Biden said. 鈥淭he timeline is to do it so that we, in fact, make it better, not worse.鈥�
Until Biden releases a plan, Carlo can鈥檛 know what his future will look like. For now, he鈥檚 trying his hardest to get through the holiday season and make it feel special for his daughters.
His oldest, who鈥檚 11, said she received nice toys for Christmas. But the one thing she really wanted was to be with her mom.
鈥淚 wanted to have our family reunited all together again,鈥� she said.
Carlo said he鈥檚 like a lot of Brazilians. He loves to have big family gatherings, where everyone is shouting, hugging, and being really boisterous together.
鈥淭he best celebration will be when we鈥檙e all together,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when we鈥檒l celebrate for real.鈥�
Mallory Falk is a corps member with , a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Got a tip? Email Mallory at Mfalk@kera.org. You can follow Mallory on Twitter .
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