Mexican immigrant families reunited after decades in Brooklyn

BROOKLYN (WABC) -- Families kept apart for years are finally together again.

On Monday, immigrants from Mexico who can't go back to the country because of their immigration status were able to visit with their loved ones.

There were tears of joy and heartfelt hugs at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

After a long international flight from Mexico and perhaps an even longer bus ride from JFK, 87 people from Puebla, Mexico, arrived in New York specifically to reunite with family members they haven't seen in years, and in many cases decades.

There are so many people from Puebla who now live in the New York metropolitan area, but cannot return home because of their immigration status.

So one organization, Mi Casa Es Puebla, teamed up with the Mexican Consulate and together they created program designed to bring loved ones to New York.

The United States visit for these loved ones will only last for three weeks before they must return home to Mexico.

They have three precious weeks to reminisce, to meet grandchildren and to share stories about what it means to be family.