Migrants Face Harsh Reality on Journey to United States Through Mexico
Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico (CNN) – A group of undocumented migrants, including children and their parents, elderly couples, and single adults, faced another challenging leg of their journey as they traveled from Ciudad Hidalgo, on the Mexico-Guatemala border, to Tapachula, the nearest city. After crossing the Suchiate River on a makeshift raft, they squeeze into a van meant for 13 passengers, carrying only a fraction of the group. However, their hopes of a smooth journey came to a halt when the van abruptly stopped a few minutes later and the passengers were told to disembark.
Due to their lack of permission or proper documentation to enter Mexico, the van driver instructs them to sneak around a checkpoint, promising that another vehicle will pick them up on the other side. The migrants reluctantly comply and grab their belongings, disappearing into the grasslands bordering the road, making themselves almost invisible to Mexican officials.
While Mexican officials sporadically attempt to intercept the migrants, shouting commands from afar, their warnings go unheeded. The migrants continue along the unofficial migrant route, signaling to each other to avoid detection. Surprisingly, no officials were seen giving chase as the migrants walked just meters away from the main road, National Route 200.
This game of cat and mouse is repeated multiple times as they navigate various checkpoints along the way. Each stop necessitates a 20- or 30-minute walk, accompanied by nerves and uncertainty about whether transportation will be waiting for them on the other side.
The migrants interviewed by CNN viewed this as just one more obstacle in their arduous journey. Despite facing numerous challenges, they anticipate reaching Tapachula, where they intend to seek asylum or obtain permission to legally transit through Mexico and ultimately reach the United States.
Among the migrants are two families from Venezuela, who reveal that this will be their first interaction with authorities since fleeing their home country. They recount their arduous journey through Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, explaining the high financial costs they have incurred.
Yeimiler Rodríguez, one of the migrants, describes the experience as dealing with the mafia, stating that his family has already paid around $1,000 per person during their grueling 18-day odyssey.
As sunset approaches, the weary migrants finally reach Tapachula, where they will spend the night. While their stay in the city may last several days, none of them harbor hopes of settling there permanently. Their sights remain firmly set on the United States, believing it to be the land of opportunity.
Emotions run high within the group. One woman tears up as they successfully pass a checkpoint, with a fellow traveler encouraging her to hold onto her dreams of the American dream. “Don’t you want the American dream?” he asks. “Hold on to that.”
As hundreds of migrants continue to make their way through Mexico, driven by desperate circumstances and the aspiration for a better future, their journeys are fraught with danger and uncertainty.