The U.S. Border Patrol turns away 100,000 unaccompanied immigrant children every year. This is the story of three who stayed.

Las Posadas is a Mexican tradition that retells the Christmas story of Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter. In Posada, the journeys of Densi, Johny and Wilber unfold in a dramatic pilgrimage as teenagers from their homes in Central America for the United States. Each one was detained by immigration officials for several months between 1999 and 2002.

Their heroic stories helped lay the foundation for future
immigrants in need of assistance.

Since 2000, between 80,000-110,000 children have been arrested and turned away by the U.S. each year. The number of children detained annually by the U.S. has risen to over 7,700 in 2005.