Nora Sandigo is guardian to hundreds of US citizens born to illegal immigrants who are subject to deportation. She has been named Hero of the Year at the People Magazine Awards (December 18 on NBC). On her minivan in Miami is a bumper sticker that reads: “Every child is a blessing.” She first started caring for the children of deported parents in 2009. Five years later and she is guardian to 812 “blessings.”
Sandigo explained her role as “a Band-Aid” to The Washington Post, saying, “All I can do is hold back some of the bleeding. There is no way I can give 812 children the love and attention they need, but it has to be me. The system is broken. Nobody else is taking responsibility for them.” Sandigo was also featured in People, the magazine.