Leslie Silva was graduating high school down in El Paso, Texas. A couple of hours before her ceremony, she walked across the U.S.-Mexico border to see her father Mario Silva. She wanted him to see her in her cap and gown. The El Paso Times explains that for Mario Silva, it’s been a battle to stay a part of his daughters’ lives.
"He was so happy. He started crying and I've never seen him cry," Silva told the El Paso Times in an interview. "He said he felt really honored and he thought it was really nice of me to go see him before my graduation ceremony."
Leslie Silva was 7 years old when her father, Mario Silva, was caught living in El Paso illegally and sent back to Mexico in 2007. He was later deported two more times during attempts to return to his family, Silva said.
Leslie Silva took video of the moment. She posted it on Twitter with this explanation:
my dad was deported 3 times for trying to come back to his family. unfortunately he couldn’t make it to any of my sisters graduations including mine so i gave him the honor to be the first to see me before i walk the stage.
The accompanying video has gone ultra viral, and it should. It’s both beautiful and tragic, as well as a reminder of every single problem with our current immigration and deportation policies.
You can watch the touching encounter below.