TRIPS OF TERROR
An immigrant’s journey to the US
Stories from “Crossings: Untold Stories of Undocumented Migrants”
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | AUG. 6-12, 2021 19
Ricardo came from
Guatemala, and
he thought the
United States was the
land of opportunity.
“For me the United
States was always a
golden land shimmering on the
horizon, attracting me with its
promise of riches and opportunity.
Life at home was a little
boring. I had always dreamed
of living in the United States.
We grew up hearing stories
about America, seeing our relatives
depart on adventures to
get to this land of plenty, and it
became the lure that enticed
many of us to cross its borders.
I came from a very poor country.
Watching American TV
shows made me very aware
of the contrast between my
country and the United States.
Watching these showswas similar
to a child looking through
the window of a candy store
and being told they can look,
but they can’t have anything.
I remember seeing movies set
in New York, California and
Chicago. Everything was so
tempting. People seemed to afford
a wonderful lifestyle with
jobs and opportunities. They
lived in nice houses, owned
cars and ate out. They had
enoughmoney to evenafford to
go on vacation and buy trendy
clothes. The comparison was
stark, and I realized that I had
nothing.”
“I remember being crushed
when I went to my mother on
my fifteenth birthday and said,
‘Mama, I’ve turned fifteen, and
I amready to goNorth!Please,
can you help me raise the
money for the trip?’”
She looked at her son, horrified,
and answered “Dear
Lord! I can’t let you go! You are
far too young and you don’t understand
how dangerous it can
be!”
“At fifteen I felt like a man
and really didn’t understand
why she wouldn’t let me go.
Danger didn’t frighten this
brave teen! I just wanted the
excitement ofmakingthe crossing.
It seemedlike a rite of passage
for many young men.”
“We started making inquiries
in order to find a coyote.
Coyote is the nickname we
give to a person who smuggles
people. I suppose both the animal
and the person are cautious,
stealthy, and are skilled
at moving through the shadows.
We wanted to hear from
otherswho had used coyotes to
find out if the trips worked out,
whether the coyote could be
trusted and whether the price
was reasonable. We settled on
someone, and he gave us instructions
to meet at a town in
Guatemala at the border with
Mexico. When we got there we
were taken to a small house
and waited overnight for the
rest of our group to arrive. It is
normal for coyotes to work in
pairs to help a group of people
cross the border. Our group
ended up consisting of the two
of us from Guatemala, sixteen
people fromEcuador, two from
Columbia and the two coyotes.
Itwaseasytotravel tothisplace
in the north of Guatemala, but
getting into Mexico without
a visa can be difficult. It isn’t
just the United States that discourages
border crossings, but
most countries en route are
equally strict. Unless you have
a valid reason and the correct
documentation, they will not
let you in.”
“Wewere at the borderwith
Mexico in a small, unassuming
house waiting nervously
for the next step. I’d heard that
the easiest way is to sneak
round the checkpoints via the
countryside, so it was to my
great surprise that our coyotes
droveus to the coast.There,all
twenty-two of us got into a tiny
boat,” James said. “It was only
about twenty-two or twentythree
feet long. I don’t know
how we all managed to fit inside.
Thefirst people sat on the
seats around the sides, and as
my friend and I were the last
in, we had to sit on the floor in
themiddle of the boat.The boat
wasoldanddidn’t lookthatseaworthy.
Noneof ushadlifejackets,
and I was glad I knew how
to swim, but I am sure not everyone
in the group did. My
friend was one of those who
couldn’t swim, and he was
really nervous about the idea
of going out to sea in an overcrowded
boat without any
lifejackets. His expression of
doubt and concern was reflected
around the boat on
many of the faces.”
“However, we were desperate,
so we all got in that
old boat, and what’s more,
we went about thirty miles
out into the ocean. In the
boat were a number of gas
canisters and some bottles of
water and a little food. The
waves began getting bigger,
and we were all terrified.
Some of the group fromEcuador
told us that this was their
third attempt to get to Mexico
via the ocean. They told
how, on the second attempt,
the boat had actually capsized,
there had been panic
and chaos, and about eight
to ten people had drowned.
I wondered how the coyotes
could risk this again and not
think to give people lifejackets.
They really are only interested
in making as much
profit as possible. I looked
around for a survival plan in
case we proved as unlucky as
the last group. I thought the
gas canisters would probably
float and perhaps we could
hang onto these. I thought angrily
that these coyotes had no
compassion. They were charging
each of us so much money
and yet couldn’t even provide
us with lifejackets.”
This story is part of a biweekly
series containing
edited chapters of Sharon
Hollins’ 2021 book
“Crossings: Untold Stories
of Undocumented
Migrants.” Each chapter
of the book tells a
different story of an
immigrant's journey
to the United States.
/QNS.COM
