Migrant boy, 9, who broke down in tears after revealing he crossed border with sisters, ages 3 and 6, before being abandoned by smugglers reunites with mother in New York City

Three Mexican migrant children who were abandoned by migrant smugglers at the southern border were reunited with their mother in New York City on Wednesday, the government for the east-central state of Puebla confirmed Thursday.

The reunion came days after nine-year-old Alan teared up during a viral interview with Oscar Gómez News as he described details of their journey to the Arizona border.

The courageous boy was responsible of looking after his younger siblings, six-year-old Ashley and three-year-old Yanis, throughout their trek to the United States-Mexico border.

When is asked about his parents' whereabouts, Alan told the interviewer, 'They are in the United States.'

Before the children were handed over to the smugglers, Alan said his mother, Adelfa, asked him to 'take care of yourself and take care of your sisters.'

While acknowledging that he was not old enough to be in charge of his siblings, he did just that throughout their trip, which he said was 'more or less' difficult.

They slept on the ground at night as they huddled together with one blanket.

Alan indicated that he and his sisters just ate 'what the guys gave us' and that he could do 'nothing' when his siblings asked to be fed.

When asked if he wanted to relay a message to his mother in the event she saw the video, Alan choked up and replied, 'Nothing,' before confirming that he missed her and that he wanted to see her.

'I miss her, I love her,' Ashley said, when she was asked if she had anything to her mother. 'She is my heart. She never broke it.'

When she was asked if her mother broke her heart, the girl fought to hold back her tears and said she hurt her because 'she left. My brothers did not see her when she left. but I did, I cried. I felt tears.'

The Puebla state government said a United States social worker, with the assistance of the Poblano Institute of Migrant Assistance, arranged Wednesday's heartwarming reunion at a New York City migrant shelter for unaccompanied children.

Efforts are being made for the mother to regain full custody of her son and two daughters while they remain under the watch of the Cayuga Centers -  which provides care for unaccompanied children for up to 30 days before they are released to a family member or their parents.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), border agents have registered 46,289 encounters with unaccompanied children since October 1, 2023, the start of fiscal year 2024.

CBP recorded 137,275 encounters with unaccompanied minors in fiscal year 2023 and 152,057 during the prior fiscal calendar. In comparison, 146,924 encounters were reported in fiscal year 2021.