Ecuador Children Dropped by Smugglers in the US Mexico Border Reunite With Parents
The two children from Ecuador who were recently reported to be dropped at the border wall are now in the arms of their parents. New York Post noted that the two girls, identified by the authorities as Yareli and Yasmina, have been reunited with their parents in New York City.
It can be remembered that in late March, a video surfaced on the internet, showing night footage of people dropping toddlers on the 14 feet high border wall, then abandoning them in the desert of New Mexico in the middle of the night. The children in the video happened to be Yareli and Yasmina, three and five years old respectively, and both Ecuador national.
Authorities noted that the people who dropped the Ecuador girls directly on the ground are smugglers. The video also showed that after the children, the smugglers also tossed the belongings of the two girls then ran away from the fence.
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Ecuador Children, Now With Their Family
Law enforcement officers were able to recover the children and transferred them to a local hospital "for precautionary reasons and further evaluations," the Washington Examiner reported.
In an email, Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility confirmed with New York Post that the girls are in New York City with their family since Saturday, April 17, 2021.
"Our consular offices have maintained direct contact with the girls' parents," said the agency. The agency also pointed out they have "always" respected the family's desire to preserve the privacy about their reunion.
Ecuadorian officials noted that the family reunion of the Ecuador children with their parents was done with the help of the U.S. Office Refugee Resettlement.
"The Foreign Ministry ratifies its commitment to continue working - in coordination with competent institutions," said the Foreign Ministry in their press release. The agency added that their commitment is done to prevent the "risky migration" of the citizens of Ecuador.
Ecuador Girls in the Hands of Smugglers
The girls' parents were identified by the authorities as Yolanda Macas Tene and Diego Vacacela Aguilar. The parents reportedly left their children in their home in Jaboncillo, Ecuador to travel to the United States.
"[The parents] wanted to be with them," said the Ecuador girls' paternal grandfather, Lauro Vacacela. Vacacela also shared that the girls' father hired smugglers to take his kids to the border.
During the spark of the incident, the Foreign Ministry noted that their Ecuadorian Consulate in Houston got in touch with the parents of the girls while confirming that the kids are in good health after their horrific experience in the U.S.-Mexico border, Fox News reported.
"Physically, they are perfect - emotionally, obviously they went through a hard time," said Magdalena Nunez, the Consulate of Ecuador in Houston.
Details about the smugglers who dropped the Ecuador children at the U.S.-Mexico border is not yet available. Meanwhile, it is still unclear if the girls will be staying in the United States permanently with their parents.
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WATCH: Children dropped over US border wall - from BBC News