PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Three young girls kidnapped by their father and taken across the Southern border into Mexico three years ago are finally back home in Phoenix with their mom.
The international rescue was made possible by a relentless mom and the tireless efforts of a Phoenix nonprofit that specializes in this kind of situation.
Cellphone video captured the moment Luz Calera finally held her daughters again last week after three long years apart.
“I felt like my heart was going to explode. I couldn’t believe that I was hugging them and looking at them,” Calera said tearfully.
For years, authorities searched, Arizona judges issued orders and Mexico issued warrants. But still, the girls’ father kept them hidden.
“It was my strength and faith in God that kept me strong, knowing that one day I would get them back,” she said.
Defenders of Children provides legal help for families dealing with abuse, neglect and custody battles. They step in when children’s safety is at risk.
“I had dealt with parental kidnappings before and parental kidnappings to other states, but I never had one where the parent fled with the children to another country,” explained Shannon Brien, the managing attorney for the nonprofit.
The breakthrough came just months ago, when the girls were spotted in Sonora, Mexico. Brien said the sighting set off a cross-border rescue.
“That adds a whole layer of complexity that was really kind of difficult and challenging to navigate. And it’s a whole other world when you get into the jurisdictional issues associated with foreign countries,” she explained.
“We were working nights and mornings on it,” said Esperanza Mondragon, who also worked on the case.
Mondragon said it all came down to getting help from the U.S. State Department, the FBI, and Mexican child welfare officials. “It was a lot of endless calling. Ultimately, we were all able to work together and come up with a plan,” she shared.
This case is just one example of the mission taken on by Defenders of Children. “We don’t give up. We fight for justice and especially for families who most of the time won’t see that justice by themselves,” she said.
After being isolated and cut off from the world for three years, the girls, now 8, 11 and 15 years old, were reunited with their mom in Ajo, Arizona. “It was something very incredible to see,” Mondragon described.
“It’s like a dream. I still feel sometimes like it’s not true and I’m stuck in a nightmare where I still don’t have them because it was three years that I had to live without my three girls,” Calera said, weeping.
Advocates say this rescue shows what’s possible when local advocates, federal agents and Mexican officials all work together. For Calera, it means her family is finally whole again.
If you find yourself in a situation where you feel you need help, visit Defenders of Children.
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