Tag Archives: Time Magazine

Father says little Honduran girl on Time cover was not taken from mother

Getty photo of Honduras Girl at the border

By Gustavo Palencia

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – The Honduran toddler pictured sobbing in a pink jacket before U.S. President Donald Trump on an upcoming cover of Time magazine was not separated from her mother at the U.S. border, according to a man who says he is the girl’s father.

An upcoming cover of Time magazine. Courtesy Time Inc.

The powerful original photograph, taken at the scene of a border detention by Getty Images photographer John Moore, became one of the iconic images in the flurry of media coverage about the separation of families by the Trump administration.

Dozens of newspapers and magazines around the globe published the picture, swelling the tide of outrage that pushed Trump to back down Wednesday and say families would no longer be separated.

“My daughter has become a symbol of the … separation of children at the U.S. border. She may have even touched President Trump’s heart,” Denis Valera told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Valera said the little girl and her mother, Sandra Sanchez, have been detained together in the Texas border town of McAllen, where Sanchez has applied for asylum, and they were not separated after being detained near the border.

Honduran deputy foreign minister Nelly Jerez confirmed Valera’s version of events.

Varela said he was awestruck and pained when he first saw the photo of his crying daughter on TV. “Seeing what was happening to her in that moment breaks anyone’s heart,” he said.

The photo was used on a Facebook fundraiser that drew more than $17 million dollars in donations from close to half a million people for the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), a Texas-based nonprofit that provides legal defense services to immigrants and refugees.

The Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy had led to the separation of 2,342 children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border between May 5 and June 9.

Video footage of separated children sitting in cages, an audiotape of wailing children and Moore’s photo had sparked worldwide anger over Trump’s immigration policies.

Sanchez and her daughter had left Puerto Cortes, a major Honduran port north of the capital city, Tegucigalpa, without telling Valera or the couple’s three other children, he said.

He said he imagined that Sanchez left with the little girl for the United States, where she has family, in search of better economic opportunities.

“If they are deported, that is OK as long as they do not leave the child without her mother,” Valera said. “I am waiting to see what happens with them.”

(Writing by Suman Nasihadham; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

TIME Magazine Named Ebola Doctors “Person Of The Year”

TIME Magazine surprised many by naming the doctors fighting Ebola as their “Person of the Year” including Christian doctor Kent Brantly.

“From the community health care volunteers in Liberia, to the dedicated staff of organizations like Samaritan’s Purse and MSF, to the doctors and nurses at Emory University Hospital, Ebola Fighters are mostly anonymous heroes whose diverse faces are largely unknown even to their patients as they wage this war in head-to-toe protective gear,” Dr. Brantly said. “It is these nameless champions that TIME has recognized today.”

The magazine also honored other Christians such as Dr. Jerry Brown of the Christian mission Eternal Love Winning Africa Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia.

“Well, of course, turning the chapel into an Ebola unit was not welcomed by the staff of the institution. The bulk of them said, ‘Why should we turn the house of God into a place where we put people with such a deadly disease?’ And some said, ‘Where will you provide for us to worship in the morning?'” Brown recalled.

The story also focused on other stories of survival of virus including SIM missionary Nancy Writebol.

Several Christian organizations have hailed TIME for making this choice instead of something political.  One of those praising the choice was Samaritan’s Purse head Franklin Graham.

“This battle for life is far from over, and Samaritan’s Purse will continue our work in this huge effort. We pray for each one of these heroes on the frontline and those suffering from Ebola. May God bring healing and comfort to them all,” Graham said.

Pope Francis Named Time’s Person of the Year

Time Magazine has named Pope Francis its 2013 Person of the Year.

Time wrote that the Pope has captured the attention of the world quickly in ways that few people have done. They said the Pope in just nine months has placed himself at the very center of some of the biggest issues facing the world such as extreme poverty, fairness and justice, transparency and the temptations of power.

The profile announcing their decision also pointed out that the Pope was taking bold stands against issues in a way that was not normally seen in the Catholic Church, such as releasing a document the day before American Thanksgiving attacking the idolatry of money when Americans were preparing for a day of massive sales.

The decision to choose Pope Francis also came in recognition of his actions to change the tone of the Catholic Church. Instead of focusing on the symbols and pageantry of the church, he gave up the lush Papal palace but in a hostel with other priests. He retired the papal Mercedes for a Ford Focus. He is also the first Pope to release Vatican finances.

The Pope’s focus on compassion and his general attitude of happiness that was not usually seen from previous Popes was also lauded by the magazine.