Fearing Deportation, Brazilian Parents Share Custody of Their Children in the U.S.
"I currently have custody of more than 20 children because their parents are afraid of being deported"
Feb.10.2025 1:11PM
Evangelical pastor Rufo Souza, 37, watched as a wave of fear spread through the Assembleia de Deus church where he works, in the Washington area. "I currently have custody of more than 20 children because their parents are afraid of being deported," he told the reporter.
Pastor Rufo Souza, vestido com blaser preto e óculos de grau, com a mão direita levantada, e a esquerda, segurando um microfone, durante discurso na igreja.
Evangelical pastor Rufo Souza. - Arquivo Pesoal
The pastor says that since Donald Trump took office, fear of U.S. immigration raids has led many families to worry about being separated.
"In their panic, they told me, ‘Pastor, you have documents, can you take custody of my child?’" he recalls. Rufo says that since late January, he has been going to courts in Maryland almost every day to attend hearings. In 2018, the U.S. judiciary barred Trump from separating families.
Even so, fear still haunts families who are now far from the border, such as in the Washington area. Tax consultant Caroline Knight, who has lived in Maryland for 18 years, says she has received many calls from parents looking to notarize documents certifying that their child will remain in the custody of a specific person in case of deportation. On the day Folha spoke with her last week alone, she received 11 such calls.
https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/world/2025/02/fearing-deportation-brazilian-parents-share-custody-of-their-children-in-the-us.shtml