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Brazilian Boy, 9, Reunited With Mom After U.S. Judge’s Order

Child’s release was ordered by Chicago judge.

A 9-year-old Brazilian boy who was separated from his mom at the U.S. border with Mexico was reunited with her Thursday after a federal judge in Chicago ordered the U.S. government to release him. The case was one of the first examples of an urgent petition for court intervention leading to the reunion of a parent and a child. According to the Associated Press, Lidia Karine Souza and her son, Diogo, hugged as they faced reporters and Diogo “frequently looked up at his mom and smiled.” Asked if she had a message for President Donald Trump about the “zero-tolerance” immigration policy that separated hundreds of children from their parents, the mother responded through a translator: “Don’t do this to the children.” Jesse Bless, an attorney for Souza, described the ruling by U.S. District Judge Manish Shah as unique, and said she hoped it would “open the door” for other judges to do the same and help bring an end to the crisis.