CLEARWATER, Fla. -- A Clearwater family was reunited after nearly two years apart with the help of Congressman Charlie Crist.
"It feels great just to be with them,” Maria Martinez said.
She came back home about a week ago just in time for the holidays.
"It's a very special Christmas," Martinez said.
Last year, around this time, Martinez was stuck in Mexico.
"It was devastating," Martinez said.
She went down there April 2018 so she could get a visa, but she was not allowed to leave.
Instead, her husband and kids -- all U.S. citizens -- came to her for Christmas last year.
During the visit, she got pregnant and ended up having twins, still waiting for help getting back to Florida.
“How can you look at this little one and not understand how important it is for them to be reunited as quickly as possible? And especially before Christmas,” Rep. Crist said.
That was exactly what Rep. Crist helped do with his staff -- getting another U.S. consulate interview for Martinez and quickly getting passports for her twins.
“I wear this yellow wristband every day. It says practice the golden rule every day, ‘do unto others as you would have done onto you,’ and it was kind of that simple,” Crist said.
But, something as simple as spending the holidays with her family at home meant everything to Martinez; especially this year.
“Without them, I feel like something, part of me is missing and now with them, I feel complete,” Martinez said.
