An Adventure No Child Should Have To Take

The first paragraph of this blog may be best read out loud with you following the cues and directions of the person working with you. However, if that is impossible, do not worry – hopefully my message will still come across.

Unaccompanied minors riding a train through Mexico.

Imagine being nine years old, and holding on to the top of a freight train as you travel the unknown countryside. You begin this journey out of hope, out of desire or out of desperation. In some cases, you planned with your best friend to escape your home life; in others you just up and leave, hoping you will find people, some companions along the way. You’ve never been outside your own town; but all you know is that if you stay at home any longer you will be subjected to feeling unwanted, finding gangs attractive or maybe something worse. In some cases you began this adventure in the southern most tip of the country, traveling hundreds of miles and countless days. You brought only what you need to survive and nothing more. Any sign of food is a gift, which is beyond the simplicity of “thank you” or even the gratitude of a “hug;” because in so many cases the bite of bread will save your life. Countless children make this adventure to the United States through Mexico every year. Some children do this because of the reasons listed above, others because they have not seen their mother or father in several years, and even more adventure because of the hope that the United States brings. In 2004, a total 668, 000 immigrants came to the US, from that number, 507,000 people immigrated to the United States through the United States / Mexico boarder. What is even more frightening is that over 1.5 million were apprehended along the southwest border. In the same year, the number of Border Safety Initiative deaths was 328 (Border Crossing Death). According to the Non-Profit, No More Deaths, No Más Muertes, 252 people have died since October 1, 2009.

Of the thousands that travel through Mexico on the freight train system, two to five percent are unaccompanied minors fighting to find a way to the United States by themselves. No matter which way you fall on the immigration issue, I firmly believe that within the umbrella issue of immigration there is the separate issue of unaccompanied children migrants traveling from Honduras, Guatemala and other Latin American countries in attempts find simple human emotions and desires: happiness, love & acceptance.

Those of you who know me well, know that my passion is pretty much anything related to children. Last Monday (October 18), the staff of Casa Marinella and the JVC: Austin community were invited to watch “Which Way Home,” a documentary about unaccompanied minors traveling through Mexico with the intention of moving to the United States for work, to find their parents or to start over. As the whole group piled into the common space, there was hesitancy to start to watch such a heavy documentary. But there is no way that any of us were prepared for the stories we would watch unfold before our eyes. We followed the tale of seven children as they adventure to the land of hope.

• Fito, 13-year-old Honduran whose mother abandoned him when he was very young; lives with his impoverished grandmother, who has a job making cigars. He is traveling to the U.S. to look for work and hopes to be adopted.
• Yurico, a 17-year-old Mexican who ran away from his mother; has lived on the streets of Tapachula, Chiapas since age seven. Yurico proclaims that his life has been spent begging and sleeping on streets, thieving and abusing drugs; sometimes he makes money by washing buses at the city depot. Yurico wants a life free of drugs and violence, and is traveling to the U.S. to find a loving family.
• Jairo, a 14-year-old Mexican whose father never accepted him. He has lived on the streets of Chiapas since his mother was killed a year ago. Schooling is very important to him, but he cannot currently afford to continue his education. Jairo has decided to go to Laredo, Texas to find employment, and then return to Mexico with money to hire a tutor.
• Jose, a nine-year-old Salvadoran, lives with his aunt, and has not seen his mother, Rosa, since she left to work in the U.S. three years ago. Hoping to live with her, he traveled through Mexico on a bus with a smuggler. When Mexican immigration officials boarded the bus, the smuggler abandoned Jose, who was then taken to a detention center.
• Olga and Freddy, nine-year-old Hondurans being taken to the U.S. by smugglers, travel on Mexican freight trains. Olga is trying to get to her mother and sisters in Minnesota, while Freddy wants to reunite with his father. Both have witnessed many accidents while riding the trains, and hope that God will bless their journey.
• Juan Carlos, a 13-year-old Guatemalan, left a letter for his mother Esmeralda, stating that he was going to the U.S. to help her and his siblings. Juan Carlos' father abandoned the family years ago, so he feels it is his responsibility to provide for them. He also wants to find his father in New York, and confront him about why he's forgotten them.
• “Which Way Home” also features the families of two young migrants who did not survive their journey. The bodies of 13-year-old Eloy and his 16-year-old cousin Rosario were found separately in the desert. Their deaths, along with the other stories of those featured in the film, underscore the extremely dangerous journey undertaken by these often-invisible children, who are making adult decisions to change their lives (Which Way Home Web site).

These children are forced to endure pains that most people cannot even fathom in their lives - fear of never reaching the United States, fear of never seeing family again or the fear of death from dehydration or hunger. Over the last week, I have found myself not only thinking about all that I have taken for granted; but also realizing how minuscule major events are compared to what these children persevere through.