Miami —  

The Great Mother’s phone is ringing.

It’s after dark and Nora Sandigo has retreated from a tropical storm into her hacienda-style ranch house on the southern outskirts of Miami. The Nicaraguan American businesswoman has spent the day greeting migrant families on her patio, distributing food and toys as clouds loomed.

For years, Sandigo has kept migrant children out of foster care by assuming power of attorney or guardianship over them after their parents have been deported. These days she’s also helping children who have crossed the border on their own to join families in the U.S.

She picks up the phone.