When Jeff Wilensky heard about a 3-year-old immigrant child in need of a flight from Ann Arbor, Mich. were he was detained, he didn’t know at first how he could help.
The child was one of more than 3,000 separated from their parents while crossing the U.S. border with Mexico under a “zero-tolerance” immigration policy enacted by President Donald Trump in May. The child and his father had been reunited after Trump walked back on the family separations in July, but the two could not afford tickets home to their family.
Wilensky soon found the thousands of frequent-flier miles he had amassed through his position at a Michigan-based tech company — for which he travels more than 20 weeks a year — could get the child and his father flights at no additional cost to him.
The reunification was coordinated by the Michigan Support Circle, a nonprofit focused on reuniting families. The organization gave Wilensky updates throughout the process. “People are often reaching and trying to figure out what they can do to make a real impact,” he said. “It is great to find an organization and a way to help that has a direct impact on families.”
My husband travels a lot. Downside: he's gone a lot. Upside: frequent flyer miles. We just used some to fly a 3-yr-old and his dad, who had been separated at the border, from Michigan (where the son had been taken) to their extended family. DM me if you have miles to donate.
— Beth Wilensky (@bethwilensky) August 6, 2018
