Carlos Roberto Rodriguez, 34, and his son Carlitos Alberto Rodriguez, 3, are from Progreso Yoro, Honduras. Carlos is a single parent, and desires to give his kids a better future by working in the United States. There are no opportunities, apart from crime,” he said about Honduras, where crime is rampant and economic opportunity is low. “That’s why we decided to come.” Having been a victim of crime in the past, this was a major reason for leaving.
At home he worked in a dairy store making deliveries on a motorbike, but after the coup d’etat in 2009, Carlos says the economy has been tough. He hasn’t been working his job delivering products on a motorbike for two years because of this.
He was renting a house for his family which cost him 2,000 lempiras per month on a salary of 4,000. With the costs of power, schooling and purchasing food, he would usually have nothing left over. This was difficult while raising his four children and helping his parents. “Leaving your kids is the most difficult,” he said thinking about making the decision to leave.
They spent 20 days making their way through Mexico with a guide or a “Coyote,” whom they paid $7,000 for their services. “Sell what you have,” he said about coming up with the money to pay the coyote. For those that don’t have money, the only option is to use collateral in the form of their home, yet another examples of the extreme risk involved for migrants coming from Central America.
The expensive journey was difficult and uncomfortable for them. “You suffer because you sleep on the floor and we could only eat once each day,” he explained about the difficult trip. “We dealt with cold, there are no blankets, not anything,” he said. Upon crossing the Rio Grande, they were held for five days by the Border Patrol. Upon being released, Carlos and Carlitos were taken to Our Lady of Purification in Dona Ana, one of the churches in Las Cruces, New Mexico providing assistance to migrants released from immigration detention. This program is called Project Oak Tree and completely volunteer powered.
After leaving Our Lady of Purification Church, in Dona Ana, New Mexico he would travel to his brother, who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Carlos Roberto Rodríguez, 34, y su hijo Carlitos Alberto Rodríguez, 3, son de Progreso Yoro, Honduras. Carlos es padre soltero, y su deseo es darles a sus hijos un futuro mejor, trabajando en los Estados Unidos. “No hay oportunidades, aparte del crimen,” dijo el de Honduras, donde el crimen es incontrolable y las oportunidades económicas son pocas. “Por eso decidimos venir,” Haber sido víctima de un crimen, es la razón mayor por haberse ido.
En su país de origen trabajaba en una lechería, repartiendo producto en una motocicleta, pero después del golpe de estado en el 2009, dice Carlos que la economía a estado difícil. No ha trabajado su oficio de entrega de producto en su motocicleta por 2 años por esta razón.
Rentaba una casa para su familia que le costaba 2,000 lempiras por mes, en un salario de 4,000. Con el costo de electricidad, educación y compro de comida, usualmente se quedaba sin nada. Esto era difícil manteniendo sus cuatro hijos y ayudándole a sus padres. “Dejar a tus hijos es lo más difícil,” dijo él, al tomar la decisión de dejar su hogar.
Duraron 20 días viajando por México con un guía o “Coyote,” a quien pagaron $7,000 por los servicios. “Vendes lo que tienes,” dijo él para juntar el dinero que se le pago al coyote. Aquellos que no tienen dinero, la única opción es usar las casas como garantía de pago, que es otro ejemplo de el riesgo que migrantes centroamericanos corren.
El viaje costoso fue difícil y incómodo para ellos. “Sufres porque duermes en el piso y solo comíamos una vez al día,” explicó del viaje difícil. “Pasamos por frío, no había cobertores, nada,” dijo él. Al cruzar el Río Grande, fueron detenidos por cinco días por la patrulla fronteriza. Al quedar en libertad, Carlos y Carlitos fueron llevados a la Iglesia Nuestra señora de la Purificación, en Dona Ana, una de las iglesias en Las Cruces, Nuevo México, que ofrecen ayuda a los migrantes liberados de la detención migratoria. Este programa se llama “Project Oak Tree” y es completamente compuesto de voluntarios.
Después de dejar la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Purificación, en Doña Ana, Nuevo México se dirige con su hermano que vive en Raleigh, Carolina del Norte.
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