-Border town
Video from the border posted on Coyote page.
Disclaimer
This post is not about persuading anyone to any particular viewpoint when it comes to the border or migrants. These are my thoughts, interviews, reflections, and random notes from my experiences.
Dominican Republic
Every other day, I receive a message from Ramon (name changed) from the Dominican Republic. He always starts with Hola, como esta? After I reply, he asks if I have any new ideas on how he can enter the United States, Canada, or Spain. I offer ideas, including talking to an immigration lawyer, which he has already done.
From my perspective, I think he is a bit crazy to come to the United States. Although my thought is a conflicting one considering that I am a child of migrants, all I see is crime, border issues, and other problems plaguing these countries. All Ramon wants is a better job to support his three kids and elderly mother.
Most of the Dominican Republic’s GDP comes from tourism, but jobs in this industry are too few. Unfortunately, Ramon recently lost his position at a restaurant after moving from the Punta Cana area with the promise of better pay if he made the move. For whatever reason, the move did not work out and he was let go. We volley our messages back and forth usually until I go to bed.
He is optimistic about someday living in the U.S..
El Salvador
I sometimes think of Aaron (name changed). We met in El Salvador over a year ago in a small town whose name I can not remember. We drank beers, danced with chicas, and talked politics with two other people about the government of Nayib Bukele. When we started discussing which country was the most violent the conversation lead into the United States.
Aaron talked about his own goals of making it to the U.S. He was anxious to arrive soon. After taking a bite from a pupusa (thick corn tortillas stuffed with various fillings, a typical food in El Salvador) he went to the bathroom. While he was distracted, another man whispered to me that he is not a good man and I should leave soon as he plans to rob me. I took his advice and left taking an alternative route back to my hotel.
I hope that he never arrives in the States.
Ramon (not his real name) and co-workers. Team photo at Punta Cana Hotel
How to cross the Colombia Panama border
Hello, I am Venezuelan and for these dates of the year 2021 I did the Necocli-Capurgana-Darien-Panama tour, to be honest, it is a tour that I do not recommend to anyone... When you enter Capurgana, the coyotes or guides are waiting for you (How are they done? call) if you have to pay one of 80 or 100 dollars (prices from last year), rest assured that nothing will happen to you because they guard you armed more or less a day and a half from the 1st camp, but if it turns out that you do not have that amount of money or in short, you don't have money (as in my case, I went backpacking), because of evil they give us the longest and most dangerous routes and not because of the animals you can find there (which are few) but because of The assailants, the same coyotes you couldn't pay, know those paths and are waiting for you later, armed, to get out of you by force what you didn't give them "by the guide", and then in a part of the river several men come out more, saying that they are miners, that they collect gold from the river but that some Indians took what they had taken that day and they rob you again, and with more or less two days left to reach the first camp there is another group of assailants That if they are very ruthless, in that robbery they search absolutely everything, even your hair, the pants by the part of the belt (to see if there are no improvised pockets), they take everything out of your bag and throw it to one side (then they indicate when you can pick up your things), they take out the tents or tents and check them in the same way, if you carry babies and you bring them pampers they break them, the creams, everything, to look for the money, the women are taken aside They say to review them and in the end they end up raping them (Not all of them because apart from everything, they are selective)…
If you resist anything, you can end up seriously injured or killed because they shoot you mercilessly (I saw many cases)… The best months to cross the Darien are between November and March which are the summer months, and then it is almost impossible because they are months of a lot of rain and the river grows to more than 2 meters, there are many people who die swept away by the current, there is a part that is called the hill of death, it is an edge of land through which you cross from one end to the other and on the right and left side there is only an infinite abyss that if you fall there, it is difficult for you to count it... I could tell you many other things but I do not want you to think that I am telling you all this to scare you, I simply want to warn you because I honestly do not recommend that route even to my worst enemy, I spent 7 days in there, it is not easy (nor is it impossible) but there is go well prepared physically and mentally because if you have little patience, despair consumes you, you also have to be aware that it is about survival, no matter how many groups arm, the despair to get out of there leads to confrontations and at the time of you, no one is for anyone... If someone who reads my comment takes this route, when they are in there they will realize that I did not lie to them, obviously my luck is not the same as any of you and I wish you the best, that God be with you and give you a lot of strength to make the journey, I was only able to get out of there because of his infinite mercy because with just over half an hour left I was about to give up... We all have dreams and we must always fight for them, if not We try, we don't know if we're going to make it… God bless you! - translated from Spanish
-Graphic video from Ayiti (Haiti). The type of violence that many Haitians are trying to escape from.
Veracruz, Mexico
At the other end of the spectrum, on my visit to Veracruz, Mexico in 2021, I encountered Gerard (not real name) and a large group of Ayitians (Haitians) who walked from Santiago de Chile through the infamous Darien Gap to Mexico, spending everything that they had, leaving jobs, a stable economy, and better accommodations only to be stuck in Mexico requesting asylum there before being allowed the opportunity to try again to enter the United States.
I had to tell Gerard that what they were doing was crazy: leaving the security of Chile for the insecurity of trying to make it up north for the American Dream. We communicated almost every day. He was always leery of my questions to the point of evasiveness.
After I left Veracruz, we stayed in contact.
About a month later, he messaged me to let me know that he was back in Ayiti (Haiti). Making the best of it, he said that he wanted to enter local politics and improve the community and that he had found some support. I called him immediately and stressed that he should be careful. I heard from him about a week later and then never again.
Panicked Responses?
In early June 2023, Gov. Glenn Yongkin of Virginia stated, “The ongoing border crisis facing our nation has turned every state into a border state.” Shortly before his statement, he sent 100 Virginia National Guardsmen to Texas to assist with border security. Many Virginia Democrats saw this as a ploy to boost his own political aspirations.
Meanwhile, various YouTube commentators have asked valid questions about how city/state funds are being redirected to migrants’ care. Community residents are upset and, in my opinion, rightfully so. In the comments section, their uploads express the following opinions:
• They are criminals.
• Why can’t they fix their own countries?
• They have made the fentanyl problem worse.
I remember arriving in D.C.’s Union Station late one evening in 2022 and seeing a large group of people living in the lower-level food court. Simply assumed they were homeless. Children were being washed in the sinks. People huddled around a single Nokia cell phone attempting to communicate with relatives and friends, and some people were asleep on the floor.
That moment was the beginning of the migrant buses, and that migration had not reached the news. To me, everything was confusing, so I asked, Por que vives en la estacion? The response was nos enviaron . Confused, I went back upstairs to catch my train.
Unused Notes from Interview. January 2023
Was picked up by Immigration. ICE came.
They asked for paperwork. Have to come with them. Started process. got attorney. When you start immigration process you fill out a form.
This was under Trump. Started on mass deportation program.
Trump. Sent ICE. Sent to detention center in downtown _______. Stayed one night. Two nights. _____ outside of _______. Put in an immigration hole. Had to wait to see a judge. A lot of people there. Like a federal prison. Good conditions. Good food. Big immigration jail. People from different countries. Was full.
Had to make a decision. Met people there for a week, some people wait months to learn their fate.
Was his first time in jail. Felt pressure.
Had no access to cell. Had to use prison jail phone.
Accepted voluntary exit. Made a mistake. Was in the US for over 10 years. started paying taxes.
Left depressed and relented. Was alone. Only had 1 close friend but he was illegal.
Was sent via flight to ABQ then went on bus to Nogales. Came back to Mexico with $20 USD in pocket.
Had a hole in the pants. Opened a gate and was told to go.
This is in December of 2018.
Saw everything different. Hadn’t been in Mexico for a long time.
Thought he could get the money. Get another coyote and recover everything.
A lot of people from Central American were trying to get across. Called ________ .
Found directions to a coyote. Went to _______ in ________ in Senora. Walked from Senora to Nogales. (2 day walk)
Took a taxi. Put in security house. Coyotes are part of the mafia. Great food.
Went back to ________. Was like a mission. First time crossing illegally was easy. Was back of the truck.
This time. Had to walk. 5hrs. Running and walking. Had a cell with a US number. Now if you are caught. People watch from mountains with binoculars. They guide via cell phone. Each separate so if you are caught then it is not a big deal. Still get a lot of money.
Five people in the group.
Was on the other side. Was about to get in a vehicle. Was running. Saw a GOpro camera on the ground. Told to proceed regardless that their ride was coming.
10 minutes later. They say that ICE is coming. Told to run. They tried to save him because he was the leader. They caught them.
Came with ATV and horses. Tried to run. was tired. Was caught.
Zócalo de Veracruz. Migrants following the path to the U.S. border often stop here.
Families / friends can be found spending the evening together.
A number of low cost hotels are in the area.
Random Posts
Mire le doy un poco de mis cruses tengo cruses por cd. Juarez al paso texas. Cruses desde lo 15 minutos asta dos horas de caminar. Tambien un cruce vip que obviamente es mas caro los cruses mas comunes son son de 4000 asta el paso 6000 al buquerque y a destino ya varia la distancia del destino.
Punto importante todas personas van con su respectivo permiso como garantia
Look, I give you a little of my cruses, I have cruses per cd. Juarez to the step texas. Cruises from 15 minutes to two hours of walking. There is also a VIP crossing, which is obviously more expensive. The most common crossings are from 4,000 to the 6,000 step to the ship and to the destination, and the distance from the destination varies.
Important point all people go with their respective permission as a guarantee
How is the road from Monterrey to Piedras Negras.
Is there migration or not, how is the control?
translated from Spanish
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Es verdad que México ya no está dando la visa humanitaria..?? El permiso para poder llegar a la frontera con usa
Si.
Is it true that Mexico is no longer giving the humanitarian visa..?? Permission to reach the border with the USA
Yes.
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No one called the families of the Camargo coyotes
The two Mexican victims of the migrant massacre, Daniel Pérez and Jesús Martínez, were identified from the beginning as human traffickers. Interviews, telephone analysis and expert reports, which appear in the case file, outline his journey
Migrant Corridor - Honduras to San Diego, CA United States
I am bit neurotic when it comes to topics that i want to cover. I've tried to stay away from the border issue. There are more than enough journalists writing about it. I keep coming back to the notes/images that i have been amassing and of which this recent post is composed of. Seeing everything laid out in front of me has brought a number of new thoughts to mind. Questions and topics that i feel are not being discussed enough.