The Lost Ones

Updated on July 27 at 2:34 p.m. ET

“He lives in a tiny mountain village by the river, on the border between two states in Honduras.” This was the scant information given to Clara Long, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, and her partner, a Honduran lawyer affiliated with the Justice in Motion defender network, as they embarked on a mission to correct one of the most serious mistakes of the Trump administration. The man in question was the father of a 4-year-old boy. The two had been separated as a result of the administration’s “zero tolerance” policy earlier this year: Miguel, the father, was in Honduras; his toddler son was 1,800 miles away in Chicago.

According to Long, Miguel and his son had come to the United States seeking asylum at an official port of entry. A local narco-trafficker in Honduras had repeatedly threatened to kill Miguel and had already murdered his cousin. (Miguel’s lawyers asked that his real name not be used, because of the dangers he continues to face in Honduras.) But when the father and son arrived at the American border, they were put in a detention center—and several days later, federal agents