Abelardo Cucul, 34, and his son Baldwin Cucul, 9, are from a small town named Damasco in the city of Coban in the Alta Verapaz Department of Guatemala. Back home, remain his four other children, and his wife.
His son, Baldwin, has only studied for one year. “What happens is that I don’t have any money,” he said about his kids not being able to go to school. Baldwin only speaks Q’eqchi’, an indigenous language spoken in Alta Verapaz, and is thus silent and shy around us.
They spent almost 20 days on their journey through Mexico, asking for help and hitching rides. They finally made it to Ciudad Juarez, where they linked up with a group going to cross the Rio Grande. Upon arriving at the US-Mexico border, they spent another seven days in migration detention. They crossed the river in Ciudad Juarez and entered the United States to be apprehended by the Border Patrol.
After leaving Holy Cross Retreat Center in Las Cruces, he would go to Houston where his cousins are.
Abelardo Cucul, 34, y su hijo Balwin Cucul, 9, son de un pueblo chico llamado Damasco en la ciudad de Cobán, Departamento de Alta Verapaz en Guatemala. En su país de origen deja a sus cuatro hijos y a su esposa.
Su hijo, Baldwin, solo estudió un año. “Lo que pasa es que no tengo dinero,” dijo el explicando el porque sus hijos no han podido ir a la escuela. Baldwin solo habla Q’eqchi’, un lenguaje indígena hablado en Alta Verapaz, y por eso se queda callado y es tímido con nosotros.
Duraron casi 20 días en su viaje por México, pidiendo ayuda y aventones. Por fin llegan a Ciudad Juárez, donde se unieron a un grupo que iba a cruzar el Río Grande. Al llegar a la frontera de Estados Unidos – México, estuvieron otros 7 días en detención migratoria. Ellos cruzaron el río en Ciudad Juárez y entraron a los Estados Unidos para ser detenidos por la patrulla fronteriza.
Después de dejar Centro de Retiro Santa Cruz en Las Cruces, se dirige a Houston con sus primos.
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