Imagine losing your mom to breast cancer as a kid. Your grandparents step in, adopt you, and become the only parents you really know.

And then one day, they get off a plane and ICE takes them away.

That is what happened to three brothers in Alabama.

Share

Roberto and Lola Avalos came to the United States legally from Mexico in 2015 while their daughter, Karina, was battling breast cancer.

When Karina died in 2017, they adopted her three sons, Marvin, Orlando, and Acxel, and raised them for years.

They built a life together in Alabama. They had work authorization and got jobs at a local Chick-fil-A. Neither has a criminal record. And when Marvin, the oldest boy, turned 18, he sponsored them for permanent residency.

Those applications were still pending when Roberto and Lola flew home from a family reunion in California. TSA passenger information tipped off ICE, so when they landed in Birmingham and got off the plane, agents were waiting.

Now Marvin, who is only 22 years old, is trying his best to take care of his younger brothers.

These kids had already lost their mom. Now they’ve lost the only parents they’ve really ever known. The ones who stepped in and raised them.

When we talk about immigration enforcement, it can get reduced so quickly to numbers, policies, and talking points. But then you see what it actually looks like…

A 22-year-old suddenly responsible for his younger brothers.

Two teenagers waiting for their parents to come home.

And a family that had already survived one devastating loss, being separated all over again.

Subscribe now

ICE Tore This Already-Hurting Family Apart