TRIPS OF TERROR
Brenda’s trip from El Salvador
“Crossings: Untold Stories of Undocumented Migrants” — Chapter 12
Brenda’s mom told her
that she was leaving for
America when she was
seven years old, and Brenda
didn’t know when she would
see her again.
“It is diffi cult for a sevenyear
old to understand why
her mother wants to go away,
but the reality is confi rmed every
day when she isn’t there,”
she says. “A little girl misses
her mother making her favorite
meals, kissing her and
tucking her into bed at night.
Many children from my country
go through this sadness
of having a parent leave in
this manner. I didn’t know for
sure when or if I would see her
again, but I knew this was a
normal thing that happened.”
“My mother had the opportunity
to travel to the United
States with her cousin and a
group of people who knew the
way. They felt they could manage
the trip without hiring
an expensive coyote. There
was a lot of risk involved, and
my parents felt that it was
too much to take me and my
twelve-year-old brother on
such a journey. They decided
that if my mom managed to
get to America, she would
work and save up money to
pay for a coyote to bring my
dad and me. My twelve yearold
brother would stay with
family and come at a later
date when he had fi nished his
schooling and we had enough
money saved for his trip. I
have another brother who was
about twenty years old at that
time and was already in the
United States.”
After fi nding work as a
live-in nanny, Brenda’s mom
made a stable life in the United
States, and eventually invited
her daughter to join her in
America.
“Mom lived in her employer’s
home and did not have
to pay for accommodation or
food, so she managed to save
quickly to pay for a coyote to
bring my dad and me to the
U.S.”
“We set off as part of a
group of people mainly from
El Salvador, Honduras and
Guatemala. A lot of my trip
remains blurry in my memory
Caribbean L 24 ife, January 7-13, 2022
because I was so little,
but there are some points that
I remember clearly. One of
them was crossing the river
between Guatemala and Mexico.
I really enjoyed that part
where we were put in a boat
and taken from one side to
the other. I thought that was
fun, but as soon as we got out
of the boat we were shouted
at to move quickly away from
the river and start heading
towards the mountains. I remember
we were running
along trails in a line and trying
to keep up with everyone
else. After a while my dad had
to carry me on his shoulders
because I was so tired. Thinking
back, I can imagine how
diffi cult that would have been
for him because we also had
bags, but he kept up the pace.
There were a couple of other
children in the group. They
were both boys; there were no
other girls. Eventually, we arrived
at a place where the coyote
had arranged for a van to
pick us up, and we all piled in,
glad to not have to walk any
further. We were then taken
through Mexico by a variety
of cars and buses.”
Eventually, when they got
across the border, Brenda’s
group tried turning themselves
into ICE custody, as “at
that time in 2004, adults with
children were normally allowed
to pass through into the
U.S. without much trouble.”
“When we got out, I was
part of a small group who intended
to be caught by immigration
once we entered the
roadway,” she said. “Because
I was part of a family and my
mom was already in the country,
it was presumed that immigration
offi cials would not
send us back to our country.
The idea was to let immigration
catch us.”
With her mom working
in Long Island, Brenda spent
her time in Brooklyn, where
she spent her time living with
her aunt until “until my dad
earned enough money from
construction work to afford to
rent our own place” elsewhere
in the borough.
“For a few years after we arrived
in the U.S. my dad worked
really hard in construction.
Then, one day he had a stroke
which left him damaged down
his left side. This was hard for
my family because we had to
rely solely on my mother’s income.
My mother was amazing
and managed to provide for us
all. I graduated high school,
and I am studying business administration
at the local community
college. I also work
full time in order to pay for my
studies and help the family.”
“As a Dreamer, I can’t get
any aid for my college fees, so
I pay for everything myself.
My family brought me to this
country to help me have a better
future, so I owe it to them to
get a college degree and a good
job. A Dreamer is the word we
use to describe an immigrant
202 youth who qualifi es for the
DREAM (Development, Relief,
and Education for Alien Minors)
Act, which allows us to
apply for DACA status.”
“When I received DACA
I was given a social security
number and authorization to
work. In twelfth grade I was
able to work in a retail store
on the weekends. Now I have a
permit in order to drive. I can
drive to college and drive my
parents around, which makes
life easier for us all. I am also
part of a support group for immigrants
whose purpose is
to educate and empower immigrant
youth. We provide
the community with information
and explain their rights.
There are many young people
who come to this country, and
this support group helps them
so that they do not feel so lost.
We go to libraries, forums and
schools, and we share helpful
information. We encourage
students to graduate from
high school and get a college
degree. I often share my story,
and I feel that it is important
for people like me to have a
voice. I like to help others. I
feel like an American citizen
because I grew up here. I also
don’t know what I would do if I
got sent back to El Salvador—it
isn’t my home anymore. I don’t
have anyone or anything back
there, only my origins. My
parents are here, and my siblings
as well are in this country.
Here I have grown up and
have my family, my friends
and my education. My future
is here in the United States.”
This story is part of
a bi-weekly series containing
edited chapters
of Sharon Hollins’ 2021
book “Crossings: Untold
Stories of Undocumented
Migrants.”
REUTERS