This Father’s Day, Pavel should be with his son. Instead, even after Pavel and his son Aleksandr were granted asylum, Aleksandr remains in government custody at a Office of Refugee Resettlement youth shelter, where he has spent over one year of his life separated from his father. Aleksandr is only 11 years old.

Trump's restrictive policies keep children in custody and block family reunification. Thanks to his attorney at ImmDef, Pavel was liberated from Otay Mesa ICE prison after 11 months of detention. He is now focused on doing all he can to bring his son home, but like other parents he is stuck in a bureaucratic loop that makes reunification nearly impossible. Under the Trump administration, the government won’t release your child unless you can show stable housing and employment, yet you can’t secure housing or a job without identification and Social Security documents that you’re still waiting for from government offices. Because of these hurdles the government denied Pavel's sponsorship request to bring his own son home.

Asylum should mean safety. It should mean the chance to rebuild. But for Pavel and Alexander, even being granted legal protection has not ended their separation.

Pavel shared, “He kept asking when I would come get him. And I couldn’t answer. I had no idea what would happen next.” Alexander’s place is with his father, not in government custody.

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