Son Performs With Mariachi Band To Surprise Mom With Green Card News After 30 Years Of Missing Family

A pair of siblings gave their parents a beautiful surprise when their son turned up with a mariachi band and presented them with their Green Cards after a 30-year wait. Manuel and Celia Martinez moved to the United States in May 1993, but until recently, they were not presented with an opportunity to obtain their Green Cards. Their children, Neat, 30, and Belen, 27, said the decades were tough, as the pair could not return to Mexico to visit their family. However, two years ago, Neat and Belen, who is on active duty with the United States Army, informed their parents that they wanted to help them apply for their residency. After difficulties with immigration lawyers who "lost files," Neat said, the process started moving again before he and Belen were eventually sent their parents' proof of permanent residency. Manuel, 52, and Celia, 51, had no idea about the exciting update, so Neat and Belen decided to plan a surprise for them. With Neat working as part of a mariachi band, it felt natural to include a performance before making the grand reveal to his unsuspecting parents. That moment took place on Christmas Eve in Los Angeles, California, with Neat finishing his song and heading towards his parents with Belen to present them with their gift. As the couple opened the box, they discovered their two Green Card letters – a moment that brought both to joyous tears as friends and family watched on. Straight after the news broke, Celia called her family to let them know that she could finally come home to Mexico—a trip more than thirty years in the making.