Desperate Journeys

Thousands of men, women, and children—many carrying small bags with a few precious belongings and wearing flimsy shoes—were trekking north through Mexico last month.

They had joined a caravan of Central American migrants from Honduras,
El Salvador, and Guatemala who were fleeing poverty and violence and were desperate to reach the United States.

Though the trek through Central America and Mexico to the U.S. border is notoriously dangerous—there are unscrupulous smugglers, dangerous desert crossings, and the risk of kidnapping by deadly Mexican drug cartels—many migrants, who heard about the growing caravan on Facebook and WhatsApp, said they had no choice but to leave their home countries for a chance at a better life.

Thousands of men, women, and children were trekking north through Mexico last month. Many of them carried small bags with a few precious belongings and wore flimsy shoes.

They had joined a caravan of Central American migrants. As word about the growing caravan spread on Facebook and WhatsApp, more people joined. These migrants were fleeing poverty and violence in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. All of them were desperate to reach the United States.

The trek through Central America and Mexico to the U.S. border is notoriously dangerous. There are dishonest smugglers and dangerous desert crossings. And there’s also the risk of kidnapping by deadly Mexican drug cartels. Still, many migrants said they had no choice but to leave their home countries for a chance at a better life.

Kinzinyer Gabriela Hernández, 17, was traveling in the caravan from Honduras with her 2-year-old daughter and her 16-year-old sister.

“My husband knows that we’re on our way, but not exactly where we are,” she said, as she washed in a river near a small town in southern Mexico. “God gives me the faith to keep going.”

Kinzinyer Gabriela Hernández, 17, was traveling in the caravan from Honduras. Her 2-year-old daughter and her 16-year-old sister accompanied her.

“My husband knows that we’re on our way, but not exactly where we are,” she said, as she washed in a river near a small town in southern Mexico. “God gives me the faith to keep going.”

The people in the caravan are part of a surge in migration from Central America to the U.S. that began a few years ago. In the past year, more than 100,000 families from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador have been apprehended or otherwise stopped at the U.S. border with Mexico. Another 38,000 children traveling by themselves from those three countries were also stopped. The number of Guatemalan and Honduran families picked up at the border has more than doubled in the past two years. And an unknown number of migrants from these countries have made it into the U.S. without being caught.

Americans remain divided over what to do about the situation. While many people sympathize with the migrants’ plight and favor giving them some form of assistance, anti-immigrant feeling has also swelled recently. In fact, opposition to illegal immigration became a big issue in the recent midterm elections.  

President Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration and those coming to the U.S. from Central America to seek asylum. And he’s singled out the caravan of migrants as a potential threat to Americans and has sent U.S. troops to the border to keep them out.

The people in the caravan are part of a surge in migration from Central America to the U.S. that began a few years ago. In the past year, more than 100,000 families from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador have been apprehended or otherwise stopped at the U.S. border with Mexico. Another 38,000 children traveling by themselves from those three countries were also stopped. The number of Guatemalan and Honduran families picked up at the border has more than doubled in the past two years. And an unknown number of migrants from these countries have made it into the U.S. without being caught.

Americans remain divided over what to do about the situation. Many people sympathize with the migrants’ plight and favor giving them some form of help. But anti-immigrant feeling has also grown recently. In fact, opposition to illegal immigration became a big issue in the recent midterm elections.

President Trump has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration and those coming to the U.S. from Central America to seek asylum. And he’s singled out the caravan of migrants as a potential threat to Americans. As a result, he has sent U.S. troops to the border to keep them out.

“We cannot allow our country to be violated like this,” Trump said.

Trump has also vowed to automatically deny asylum to anyone who crosses the border illegally. This new policy immediately prompted lawsuits from immigrant rights groups, who say it violates existing laws. Many of the Central American migrants coming to the U.S. apply for asylum, saying they are fleeing violence in their home countries.

The U.S. has also tried other methods to stanch the flow of migrants from Central America. In late September, Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, traveled to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador—the three countries that make up the bulk of the migrants apprehended at the southwestern border.

One of the places McAleenan visited was the western highlands of Guatemala, a region where 76 percent of the population lives in poverty and 67 percent of children younger than 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

It’s a region where almost everyone has family—or knows someone with family—in the U.S. And many of those who remain have hopes of getting to the U.S. eventually. 

 While in Guatemala, McAleenan told those he met with that he understood that most people leaving the country were trying to find work. But he reminded them that illegally crossing the American border is a crime, and he warned of smugglers who have misled desperate migrants by assuring them that they can remain in the U.S. if they arrive as families.

“There is no ability to stay in the United States if you bring a child, and there is no ability to stay if you are pregnant,” McAleenan said. “We need to continue to provide accurate information so they won’t make this dangerous journey, where they face physical and sexual assault.”

“We cannot allow our country to be violated like this,” Trump said.

Trump has also vowed to automatically deny asylum to anyone who crosses the border illegally. This new policy immediately prompted lawsuits from immigrant rights groups. They say that it violates existing laws. Many of the Central American migrants coming to the U.S. apply for asylum. These migrants say they are fleeing violence in their home countries.

The U.S. has also tried other methods to stop the flow of migrants from Central America. In late September, Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, traveled to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. These three countries make up the bulk of the migrants captured at the southwestern border.

One of the places McAleenan visited was the western highlands of Guatemala. In this region, 76 percent of the population lives in poverty and 67 percent of children younger than 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development.

It’s a region where almost everyone has family or knows someone with family in the U.S. And many of those who remain have hopes of getting to the U.S. eventually. 

While in Guatemala, McAleenan told those he met with that he understood that most people leaving the country were trying to find work. But he reminded them that illegally crossing the American border is a crime. He also warned of smugglers who have misled desperate migrants by assuring them that they can remain in the U.S. if they arrive as families.

“There is no ability to stay in the United States if you bring a child, and there is no ability to stay if you are pregnant,” McAleenan said. “We need to continue to provide accurate information so they won’t make this dangerous journey, where they face physical and sexual assault.”

The United States is planning to spend more than $200 million on projects in Guatemala over the next few years to create jobs and reduce poverty, officials say. The U.S. has also tried to deter illegal immigration by harshly cracking down on border crossings this year—including with the now-defunct and widely condemned practice of separating migrant children from their detained parents and other relatives.

Additionally, the U.S. has launched a $1.3 million advertising campaign to warn people in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras about the dangers of the journey north. In Guatemala, nine billboards, as well as radio and TV commercials, urge people not to make the trip.

But interviews with more than a dozen people in the Guatemalan highlands’ largest city and several small towns showed that few residents have seen or heard the warnings. Many said they would not be persuaded to stay where they are anyway.

At the same time, a parallel—and far more powerful—messaging campaign by smugglers is spread by word of mouth.

Guatemalans say they see daily advertisements by the smugglers, known as coyotes, promising to get them to the U.S. On one radio station, smugglers regularly offer to transport and help finance northbound travels for migrants. Some smugglers also promote their services on Facebook.

more than $200 million on projects in Guatemala over the next few years. This money will be used to create jobs and reduce poverty, officials say. The U.S. has also tried to deter illegal immigration by harshly cracking down on border crossings this year. This includes the now-defunct and widely condemned practice of separating migrant children from their detained parents and other relatives.

Additionally, the U.S. has launched a $1.3 million advertising campaign to warn people in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras about the dangers of the journey north. In Guatemala, nine billboards, as well as radio and TV commercials, urge people not to make the trip.

But interviews with more than a dozen people in the Guatemalan highlands’ largest city and several small towns showed that few residents have seen or heard the warnings. Many said they would not be persuaded to stay where they are anyway.

At the same time, a parallel messaging campaign by smugglers is spread by word of mouth. And it’s far more powerful.

Guatemalans say they see daily advertisements by the smugglers, known as coyotes. These ads promise to get them to the U.S. On one radio station, smugglers regularly offer to transport and help finance northbound travels for migrants. Some smugglers also promote their services on Facebook. 

At the urging of American officials, the Guatemalan government has begun offering rewards to people who turn in smugglers. But getting people to do so has been a struggle.

“No one will turn them in, because within the community they are not seen as bad people,” says Dora Alonzo, 27, who runs an organization in Quetzaltenango to keep children from trying to migrate to America. “But everyone knows who they are.”

Alonzo says her father and a sister migrated to the U.S. with help from smugglers. Her father returned to Guatemala eight years ago, after spending seven years in the U.S. Her sister lives in South Carolina, she says.

Alonzo would not name the smugglers. But she says the American government’s plea for Guatemalans to remain at home is unlikely to be effective. The promise of a good life in the U.S. overrides the risks.

“That is the way to have a house and a car,” she says.

More than 1 million people in Guatemala’s rural areas lack electricity. Many earn little to no profit from the coffee, corn, and beans they grow, and small farmers are unable to cover their costs. Additionally, residents cite drug trafficking, widespread corruption in the local government, and extortion by gangs as contributing to their decision to leave Guatemala (see “What They’re Trying to Leave Behind,” below).

“We have to create better opportunities for people so they can stay home,” says Víctor Manuel Asturias Cordón, who heads the National Competitiveness Program, a Guatemalan government agency that promotes economic development.

“We also have to work on countering smugglers who have convinced people that their best opportunities to be successful lie in the [United] States,” he adds.

At the urging of American officials, the Guatemalan government has begun offering rewards to people who turn in smugglers. But getting people to do so has been a struggle.

“No one will turn them in, because within the community they are not seen as bad people,” says Dora Alonzo, 27, who runs an organization in Quetzaltenango to keep children from trying to migrate to America. “But everyone knows who they are.”

Alonzo says her father and a sister migrated to the U.S. with help from smugglers. Her father returned to Guatemala eight years ago, after spending seven years in the U.S. Her sister lives in South Carolina, she says.

Alonzo would not name the smugglers. But she says the American government’s plea for Guatemalans to remain at home is unlikely to be effective. The promise of a good life in the U.S. overrides the risks.

“That is the way to have a house and a car,” she says.

More than 1 million people in Guatemala’s rural areas lack electricity. Many earn little to no profit from the coffee, corn, and beans they grow. Small farmers are unable to even cover their costs. Additionally, residents cite drug trafficking, widespread corruption in the local government, and extortion by gangs as contributing to their decision to leave Guatemala (see “What They’re Trying to Leave Behind,” below).

“We have to create better opportunities for people so they can stay home,” says Víctor Manuel Asturias Cordón, who heads the National Competitiveness Program, a Guatemalan government agency that promotes economic development.

“We also have to work on countering smugglers who have convinced people that their best opportunities to be successful lie in the [United] States,” he adds.

That’s what Liset Juárez, who lives in the remote Guatemalan town of Concepción Chiquirichapa, believes. Eight months ago, her husband packed a bag, hugged their three children, and left for the U.S. It was his sixth attempt to cross the border illegally to find work.

The family had borrowed the equivalent of nearly $13,000 from a friend to pay a smuggler for the trip. Juárez says her husband was aware of the dangers but felt he had few alternatives in Guatemala, where he was deep in debt after his business failed.

“What can we do?” Juárez says. “We have to feed our children.”

Juárez says her husband finally made it to the U.S. after nearly a half-dozen tries. He plans to stay three years. With the money he makes as a laborer, they plan to pay back their debt and save up to open another business.

Other Guatemalans are still trying. In the town of Cajolá, a 20-year-old woman who identified herself only as Onelia says she has tried to illegally cross the border into Texas at least three times—twice in Laredo and once in McAllen—before being deported back to Guatemala.

Undeterred, she says she plans to set off again soon for the U.S.

“We know about the risk and we know how hard it is,” she says. “But we still want to go.”

That’s what Liset Juárez believes. She currently lives in the remote Guatemalan town of Concepción Chiquirichapa. Eight months ago, her husband packed a bag, hugged their three children, and left for the U.S. It was his sixth attempt to cross the border illegally to find work.

The family had borrowed the equivalent of nearly $13,000 from a friend to pay a smuggler for the trip. Juárez says her husband was aware of the dangers but felt he had few alternatives in Guatemala. He was deep in debt after his business failed.

“What can we do?” Juárez says. “We have to feed our children.”

Juárez says her husband finally made it to the U.S. after nearly a half-dozen tries. He plans to stay three years. With the money he makes as a laborer, they plan to pay back their debt and save up to open another business. 

Other Guatemalans are still trying. In the town of Cajolá, a 20-year-old woman who identified herself only as Onelia says she has tried to illegally cross the border into Texas at least three times. She did so twice in Laredo and once in McAllen. But she was deported back to Guatemala each time.

Undeterred, she says she plans to set off again soon for the U.S.

“We know about the risk and we know how hard it is,” she says. “But we still want to go.

With reporting by Ron Nixon, Kirk Semple, Annie Correal, and Maya Averbuch of The New York Times.

With reporting by Ron Nixon, Kirk Semple, Annie Correal, and Maya Averbuch of The New York Times.