Jose Alberto Molina Sanchez, 30, his wife Guadalupe Sanchez Gonzalez, 26, and their two boys Christian, 2, and Yahir, 1, had already been staying at the Casa del Migrante, a shelter for migrants in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, for six days. Because of a high volume of migrants waiting to cross to claim asylum, the shelter is filled to capacity with limited resources. Municipal police of Ciudad Juarez were stationed outside the shelter for protection, as migrants like Jose and his family, frequently are targeted by human traffickers and extortionists, looking to take advantage of those most vulnerable.
Since late October Casa del Migrante has been giving shelter to migrants made to wait for to claim asylum in the United States. At the time of interviewing the number on the waiting list was up to almost 6000, most of which have been called over, but which keeps growing as the winter ends.
Hailing from Chichihualco, Guerrero, Mexico, he and his family found themselves in the middle of a wave of extreme violence due to the ongoing war on drugs, which has displaced thousands. The mountainous state grows a large amount of poppy due to its accessibility and lack of infrastructure.
“We came for safety,” he said describing the reasons he left, “ We aren’t free to work. Sometimes there are shootings, so we can’t leave the house. We are stuck inside.” The family came only with the clothes on their back, and Guadalupe only wears sandals with socks to protect her feet from the cold.
Jose worked seasonal jobs, which paid about 150 pesos per day, (about $8). This has always been the case in his home state of Guerrero, however the situation with the violence has exacerbated his families’ reasons for wanting to leave.
“The truth is we can’t live there anymore,” he explained. “The schools have closed there because of what is happening. There are no classes because the teachers don’t come.”
When released from migration detention, the family intends to travel to Nebraska where his cousins have lived for decades, however, Jose had to leave his parents in his hometown.
“It is painful to leave our home, leave our family and our parents,” he said, explaining that he had to do so to protect his family’s lives.
José Alberto Molina Sánchez, 30, su esposa Guadalupe Sánchez González, 26, y sus dos hijos Christian, 2, y Yahir, 1, ya se habían quedado en la Casa del Migrante por seis días, un albergue para migrantes en Ciudad Juárez, México. Debido al gran volumen de migrantes esperando cruzar para pedir asilo, el albergue está lleno a capacidad con recursos limitados. La policía municipal de Ciudad Juárez estaba estacionada fuera del albergue por protección, ya que migrantes como José y su familia, frecuentemente son el blanco para el tráfico de personas y extorsión, buscando aprovecharse de los más vulnerables.
Desde los últimos de octubre, Casa del Migrante, ha estado proporcionando albergue a los migrantes esperando pedir asilo en los Estado Unidos. El día de la entrevista, el número de migrantes en la lista de espera era de casi 6,000, la mayoría ya ha cruzado al otro lado, pero el número sigue creciendo a medida que el invierno termina.
Procedente de Chichihualco, Guerrero, México, él y su familia se encontraron en medio de una ola de violencia extrema, debido a la continua guerra contra las drogas, que ya ha desplazado a miles. El estado montañoso cosecha una gran cantidad de amapola debido a la accesibilidad y la falta de infraestructura.
“Venimos por seguridad,” dijo él explicando las razones por que se fue, “No somos libres para trabajar. A veces hay balaceras, y no podemos salir de nuestras casas. Estamos atrapados adentro.” La familia llegó solo con la ropa que traían puesta, y Guadalupe solo usa sandalia con calcetín para proteger sus pies del frío.
José trabajaba por temporadas, que pagaba más o menos 150 pesos al día ($8). Está siempre a sido la situación en su estado de origen de Guerrero, sin embargo, la situación con la violencia se ha exacerbado las familias’ razón para querer dejar tu hogar
“La verdad es que ya no podemos vivir allí,” él explicó. “Las escuelas las han cerrado por lo que está pasando, No hay clases por que las maestras no van,”
Cuando sean liberados por la detención de inmigración, la familia intentará viajar a Nebraska donde sus primos han vivido por muchos años, sin embargo, José tuvo que dejar a sus padres en su pueblo. “Es doloroso dejar tu hogar, dejar la familia y tus padres,” dijo él, explicando que tuvo que hacerlo para proteger la vida de su familia.
The Faces of Immigration Project is a 40 Day photo journal series used to highlight the stories of all Immigrants. The project is meant to shed light on some of the many reasons people have for immigrating to the U.S. Statements and stories have been edited for content, clarity, and brevity and may not reflect the entirety of an Immigrant’s reasons for immigrating to the United States.
By Paul Ratje