Fort Worth, UNITED STATES
The Wider Image: Migrant mother misses home but prays not to be sent back
As on every Sunday, the 33-year old Honduran mother bows her head at a neighborhood church. She has dressed her children, Jesus, 5, and Suany, 8, in their best clothes and implored them to sit quietly beside her. She prays that her husband, Jose, who was murdered back home, is "in a good place." She prays to be strong for her kids in this new country, to live long enough to see them grow up. She prays for the family members she left behind. Rivera views her new life with conflicting emotions. For their first year in the United States, she and the children were guests in a relative's house, and she constantly worried they were outstaying their welcome. Recently, she and her sister, who arrived from Honduras with her kids two months ago - also to seek asylum - rented a small apartment together. Rivera, Suany and Jesus share an inflatable mattress in a bedroom with her teenage niece. "We don't have a lot, but we are happy," she said. After walking thousands of miles north through Guatemala and Mexico, where last spring they sought protection in a caravan, the three asked for U.S. asylum in May 2018 at the port of entry near San Diego, California. They spent three weeks in U.S. custody, then convinced an immigration officials they had a "credible fear" of returning home. They were released pending court hearings to decide their fate - a process that could take years. REUTERS/Loren Elliott SEARCH "IRMA ELLIOTT" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: USA-IMMIGRATION/PROFILES-FORT WORTH
