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This migrant mother's story is an American story

Ruben Navarrette Jr. on

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SAN DIEGO -- Two different facets of the immigration debate -- birthright citizenship and the caravan of thousands of Central American refugees -- have crossed.

And at the center of that intersection is Maryury Serrano Hernandez.

The 19-year-old woman left Honduras on Oct. 17 with her husband, Miguel, and their 3-year-old son. The couple now has another child. Their newborn boy came into the world on Nov. 27, one day after his mother was apprehended at the border.

According to media reports, Hernandez was nearly eight months pregnant when she and her family began the dangerous trek through Guatemala and Mexico by foot and then by bus until they reached Tijuana. Miguel told reporters that traveling with his pregnant wife was difficult, and that the family often fell behind the rest of the caravan.

In Tijuana, the couple found refuge in a shelter but didn't feel safe -- in part because of Mexican nationals who harassed Central Americans. The family decided to cross into the United States and seek asylum. They were picked up by the Border Patrol and put in a detention facility. The next day, Hernandez went into labor and was transported to a hospital in San Diego where she gave birth.

 

"He was born here in San Diego," she beamed to a Spanish-language television reporter as she held her baby. She said she considers the child a blessing from God and a "big reward" for her family having survived the harrowing journey.

Hernandez claims that she didn't leave Honduras with the intent of giving birth on U.S. soil and that, when she crossed the border, she had no idea she would go into labor the very next day.

I recently talked about this story while hosting a show on a conservative radio station in San Diego, and my listeners were fuming. Callers were sure that Hernandez and her husband had meticulously planned every part of her delivery, including when the baby would be born -- and where.

That's quite a trick. My wife and I have been pregnant four times, and I don't remember any part of those deliveries that went according to plan. Ever hear of false contractions?

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