Crossings
Two mid-sized newspapers have produced outstanding narrative series on Mexican laborers traveling to and from the United States. Each series helps us to better understand the people who make these perilous journeys.
In "The Road Home to Mexico," by Amanda H. Miller of the Jackson Hole News & Guide, we accompany Cesar Marquina Corona, a legal immigrant, as he rides in a caravan of four heavily loaded vehicles from Jackson Hole to San Simeon. Here's the setup:
Cesar’s caravan includes Gregorio Cruz, David Ray Perez, Juan Carlos Morales and Susanna Nunez, some of whom are here illegally. They will travel almost 3,000 miles across the U.S., through Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas….
If they get caught, they fear they would lose their truck or van and everything in it. And maybe even their money. Cesar himself is taking home $3,000, cash.
During their 40-hour push through the U.S., they won’t stay in motels, afraid somebody might call immigration. It’s simple, Cesar says;
"Some people don’t like Mexicans."
"Final Journey," by James Osborne of The Monitor, follows a group of illegal immigrants who try to reach Houston by walking around a Border Patrol checkpoint. As they travel through the night, their story reaches a turning point:
The moon was even brighter tonight, a hazard when trying to avoid the migras. Fernando was surprised at how hot it was, even at night, a world away from the cool, damp nights in his village, hanging out with his friends and a bottle of tequila.
They had been walking for a few hours when, suddenly, there was a strange noise — a damp, ragged sound. Fernando turned to see Moises bent forward, as if he were going to vomit but unable to do so.
He and Ignacio ran over and tried to help Moises walk, but it quickly became clear he was in no condition to continue….
For 15 minutes, Fernando and Ignacio knelt worriedly at his side.
And just like that, Moises was gone.
http://www.jacksonholenews.com/article.php?art_id=2493
http://www.jacksonholenews.com/article.php?art_id=2514
http://www.themonitor.com/sections/journey/