California-based activist Ana Bautista created an organization that works for the reunification of migrant families from Mexico and the United States.
The Mexican immigrant and activist Ana Bautista was born in a town in Hidalgo, Mexico, and emigrated to the United States at the age of 18, in search of better opportunities to be able to support her son, who stayed in Mexico.
After arriving alone in the United States, far from her family and her son, and suffering the death of her mother from a distance, Ana began her activism in search of reuniting father and children separated by migration.
In 2017, the native of Tepehuacán de Guerrero, Hidalgo, founded the Hidalguenses association in California "Club el Apapacho", which is dedicated to advising older adults who visit their children in the United States.
This organization supports parents in Mexico to obtain a humanitarian visa to be able to visit their immigrant children in the United States. His work focuses on adults 65 and older, who have immigrant children who have been away from home for more than ten years.
In 2018, it brought together the first group of parents from Hidalgo in California, who were reunited with their children after years.
Likewise, Bautista collaborates with Refugee Services, an organization that offers its support to immigrants through pantries. Even her work was intensified due to the pandemic, as many immigrants lost their jobs.
Ana's work was recognized last year, after receiving the Woman of the Year award from Congressman Lou Correa. “I feel satisfied because I know that with what I do I can help my community on this side of the pond a little, without a doubt in 2020 and part of 2021 I gave what I had in my heart, which is the service to God through my community work without expecting anything in return,” he explained.
However, she recognized that the work and activism of many women should be more recognized.
Learn more about the Hidalguenses organization in California: https://es-la.facebook.com/hidalguensesenca/
