Through Uniendo Familias Nayaritas, immigrant advocate Nerida Vargas has helped hundreds of families reconnect, some after nearly 40 years apart.
Nerida Vargas knows firsthand the hardships of migration, both through her own experience and through the experiences of her fellow countrymen and women. That understanding led her to create one of the most heartfelt programs in Mexican migration: Uniendo Familias Nayaritas (Bringing Nayarit Families Together).
Since 2018, the program has worked to reunite parents with their children in the United States after years, and sometimes decades, of separation.
“We cannot forget how we got here. Many migrants, for different reasons, have not seen their families in many years, perhaps more than 30. Many have changed, suffered accidents, grown older, and sometimes they don’t even recognize one another. There is so much emotion in these reunions,” Vargas says.
In 2016, Nerida learned about similar programs organized by people from the Mexican states of Zacatecas and Michoacán. She immediately saw an opportunity to create one for her home state. She set out to contact Nayarit officials and hometown migrant clubs to begin building the initiative.
Vargas estimates that her program has helped approximately 578 families. Their stories reflect the emotional toll of migration experienced by those who leave their communities in Mexico and settle in California.
Nerida with Paula Nava from Tecuala, Nayarit, who had not seen her daughter for 40 years.
Vargas is originally from Tetitlán, in the municipality of Ahuacatlán, Nayarit. At just 14 years old, she immigrated to the United States in search of better opportunities. Living far from her homeland and roots helped her understand what family separation means and how important it is to maintain connections with those who remain back home.
That experience became her motivation to support the migrant community. In 2018, she founded Uniendo Familias Nayaritas, an initiative focused on helping older adults travel to the United States to reunite with their children, many of whom they have not seen in more than a decade.
The impact of this work can be seen in the stories of people who have waited 20, 30, and even 39 years to hug their children again, meet their grandchildren in person, and share moments that migration had taken away from them.
One of the concerns weighing on migrants is the increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. However, Vargas says the program has not experienced any repercussions so far.
“We advise them, guide them, and help them find resources. We are already recognized by the U.S. government, and they know about our program, which makes things easier. We also help protect their privacy. If someone at the embassy or immigration authorities asks about the immigration status of the people they are going to visit, we always tell them to give a simple answer: ‘I don’t know,’” she adds.
Nerida Vargas’s work has also been recognized in Nayarit. In December 2022, she received the Ernesto Galarza Award as Migrant of the Year, an honor recognizing her community work and contributions to Nayarit residents living outside the state.
“It is important for people to understand that those who come to visit their families are not coming here to work. We make sure they arrive and return home. This is a humanitarian program,” she says.
To date, the program has an 85 percent approval rate, a figure that speaks to the results of these efforts.
Vargas has been in particularly high spirits these past few days. She was overcome with emotion after witnessing the reunion of a family that had not seen one another in 40 years. That moment reminded her of the profound satisfaction that comes from all the work behind each reunion.
“For me, it represents joy and fulfillment. Those of us involved in the program feel that our lives have greater meaning. There are many people from Nayarit who have never left their communities. Others have become ill or even had their feet amputated. We have to overcome our fear. That is the first step, and the most important one, toward sharing an embrace that could sometimes be the last,” she adds.
Vargas is involved in every stage of the process, from the initial request to bring family members to the United States to the paperwork, transportation, and family reunions themselves. As a result, the emotional weight of the work is considerable.
“What matters most is being there for them, making sure migrants feel safe and know that we are here for them,” she concludes.
