Brazilian Woman Reunited With 9-Year-Old Son In Boston After 45 Days Apart

A Brazilian woman seeking asylum in Boston was reunited with her 9-year-old son on Saturday after the boy spent 45 days in federal custody.

The pair crossed the U.S.-Mexico border together, but were stopped by immigration officials. The boy was held in a detention center in Texas.

The reunion happened at Boston Logan International Airport, where the boy arrived by plane.

Iván Espinoza-Madrigal is the director of the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice, a group that has been representing the woman in court. Espinoza-Madrigal was on hand for the reunion — just days after lawyers argued in court for the boy's release.

"It was incredibly moving," Espinoza-Madrigal said. "It was the culmination of a tremendous legal battle."

The mother has been identified as just W.R. in court papers, and her son identified as A.R.

He added that an emergency hearing held Thursday made a big difference in the case, as the government reunited the pair without an order from a federal judge. The court has not issued a ruling in the case.

Although they are back together, Espinoza-Madrigal said the mother and son have experienced irreparable harm.

"The mother is traumatized, the son is traumatized," he said. "They have been through a terrifying nightmare."

Espinoza-Madrigal said the woman and her son will face a long legal fight ahead to stay in the country. Their lawyers will argue that they deserve asylum because they are fleeing violence.