Yanet’s husband began verbally abusing her when she was pregnant with their first daughter, Emily, who is now nine years old. Once Emily was born, the abuse became physical and persisted over the years until just a few months ago when Yanet was finally able to escape and flee to the US-Mexico border to seek protection. For nine years, Yanet was trapped emotionally, physically, and economically under the tight grip of her husband. He threatened to kill her, the children, and Yanet’s mother if she … [Read more...]

“I feel like the whole world is crying out, going crazy, knowing that we are not together,” says Diosmany. “How is it that we can be together for ten years, committed to each other for ten years, and then the U.S., a third party can come in and tear us apart like that?” Diosmany, still in shock, tells the story of how he and his wife, Lisday were separated at the U.S.-Mexico border last month while attempting to seek asylum near Yuma. Both from Cuba, Diosmany and Lidsay fled political … [Read more...]

Before the sun rose on July 31st, 2019 Saulo was on a buswith his son, fleeing their home country of Honduras and leaving behind a wife and two daughters. In the darkness of the night, he made his way to the Guatemala-Mexico border. The Suchiate River serves as a natural divide between Guatemala and Mexico, where many migrants cross on makeshift rafts. Sitting with Saulo, he paints an image of the muddy water, the colorful murals on the Mexico side of the river, the hustle and bustle of the … [Read more...]

Each month, we bring to you the story of a migrant, which typically document the life they left behind, their journey, and hopes for the future. New narratives emerged in 2020 that we have never experienced before as many asylum seekers spent the entire calendar year waiting in Nogales to access the asylum system in the United States. They never imagined spending more than a year in Nogales. Neither did we. However, amidst the uncertainty and inhumanity of these long waits, migrants, too, were … [Read more...]

Andrea remembers her life in Michoacán with nostalgia: the views of the mountains, her family’s home, the culture that surrounded them. Her husband had a stable job working as a brick-layer and she was able to stay home with her two young sons, Jaime and Cesar. As she speaks of their home, she envisions and describes the field beside their house where her sons could play and run free. “We were happy, we never thought we’d leave.” One November evening in 2019, her husband stepped out on a … [Read more...]