A small group of travelers found themselves in downtown Dallas Tuesday afternoon, new to the city and new to the country.
The Guatemalan nationals hopped off one Greyhound bus and waited around for another one: timid and confused at their surroundings.
The three adults each had a child with them.
They each admitted they crossed into the U.S. illegally with their children within the past two weeks.
Cesar Gonzalez said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials talked to him in Arizona, but he was never separated from his 5-year-old daughter.
"We were together," he said in Spanish.
Asked why he risked his life and hers to embark on a dangerous and illegal journey, Gonzalez said "because of the extreme poverty. We have no money. We barely eat."
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Gonzalez also added that a human smuggler, known as a coyote, told him that the U.S. was allowing parents to enter the country with their children without any issues.
Magdalena Alonzo Gomez said authorities kept her and her 6-year-old son together as well.
She said she wanted to come to the U.S. because she is poor and her husband and parents died.
Gomez and Gonzalez were released, but were wearing ankle monitors so their moves could be tracked.
They will head to Mississippi and Georgia to reunite with family members and will be required to appear before an immigration judge.
