Woman Returns To Mexico To Surprise Grandpa After 16 Years Apart

After not being able to return to Mexico for 16 years, a granddaughter gave her beloved grandma a beautiful reunion surprise when her travel documents were finally approved. When she was four years old, Karina Cervantes, 21, moved near Bakersfield, California, leaving her family in Jalisco, Mexico. Karina said the years that followed were tough, as she could not return home without the necessary documentation, meaning she could not visit her grandparents for more than a decade and a half. Then, in 2023, having received advanced parole, Karina said she decided to plan a surprise trip to Mexico, which she asked her aunt to help organize. Standing outside her grandpa Vicente Sanchez's house, Karina asked her younger cousin to knock on his door before Vicente stepped outside. When he saw the woman standing opposite him, Vicente initially did not know it was his granddaughter, having not seen her in person since she was a little child. Once everything clicked, though, the 66-year-old headed over to his Karina for a loving hug – a moment that Karina's family could capture on video.