Juan Ramon Lopez, 36, and his son Juan Jose Lopez, 15, come from Salama, Department of Baja Verapaz in Guatemala. Juan Ramon leaves behind his wife and three children. His journey through Mexico lasted 12 days until he reached Ciudad Juarez, the border of Mexico- United States.
Juan Ramon and his son Juan Jose traveled through Mexico with a guide or “coyote”, to whom they paid $4,500 dollars for their services. During their journey, they traveled by freight car, bus, and private vehicle. “It was very difficult. We were placed inside a freight car with a capacity of 30 people, but we were 50, with no food for a day and a half, we had to sleep on the floor of an outdoor vacant land,” he said. In a few occasions they were detained by law enforcement and the federals, which they had to bribe so they could let them through.
Juan Ramon had previously been in the United States in 2008. He had entered with a work visa through a company who had told them, that once in the United States, they would be able to renew their work authorization. When it was time to renew their work visa, the company informed them that they were not going to be able to help them. Due to the economic recession and the lack of work permit, he had to return to his country of origin. “Maybe if i had done well, I wouldn’t of have left, because we all come here with the intentions of being able to be self-sustaining in this country,” he said.
The violence in Guatemala is very strong and very dangerous. Juan Ramon told us, that you can be driving on the highway and be assaulted at any time. “You can be driving down the highway, and even after driving a good motorcycle with a strong cylinder capacity, they will cut you off with a vehicle, and assault you at gunpoint, and it’s worse in the Capital City,” he said. The “Mara Salvatrucha” gang, has been known to be very dangerous, in Mexico as well as all Central America. Much of this violence is due to this gang, and unfortunately in some parts of Guatemala it continues to grow.
Juan Ramos speaks a little English, and he would love to continue learning the language and his son Juan Jose is interested in being an electrician and his desire is to study so he can work in this field. They were apprehended by border patrol and were detained for 3 days. Now that they have been released, they will be going to Houston, Texas where his brother is waiting for them.
Juan Ramón Lopez, 36, y su hijo Juan José López, 15, son de Salama, Departamento de Baja Verapaz, en Guatemala. Juan Ramón deja atrás a su esposa y tres hijos. Su viaje por México fue de 12 días hasta llegar a Ciudad Juárez, frontera de México- Estados Unidos.
Juan Ramon y su hijo Juan José viajaron por México usando un guía o “coyote”, al cual pagaron $4,500 dólares por sus servicios. En el trayecto del viaje su transportación fue por vagón, autobus, y carro particular. “Fue muy difícil, nos metieron a un vagón con capacidad de 30 personas, pero éramos como 50, sin comer nada por un dia y medio, nos tocó dormir en el piso en un terreno baldío en intemperie,” dijo Juan Ramon. En varias ocasiones fueron detenidos por los municipales y los federales, los cuales tuvieron que sobornar para que los dejaran pasar.
Juan Ramón ya había estado anteriormente viviendo en los Estados Unidos en el 2008. El había entrado con una visa de trabajo por parte de una empresa que les habían dicho, que ya estando en los Estados Unidos iban a poder renovar su permiso. Cuando se llegó el tiempo de renovar su permiso, la empresa les anuncio que no les iban a poder ayudar. Por causa de la recesión económica, y falta de permiso de trabajo, el tuvo que regresar a su país de origen. “Quizas si me hubiera ido bien, no hubiera tenido que partir, porque todos nos venimos con la intención de poder ser auto suficientes en este país,” dijo el.
La delincuencia en Guatemala está fuerte, y es muy peligrosa. Nos cuenta Juan Ramón que puedes estar viajando por la autopista y ser asaltado en cualquier momento. “Usted va allí en la autopista y aunque lleve una moto de buen cilindraje, le atraviesan un carro y lo bajan a punto de pistola y en la capital, peor todavía,” dijo el. Se sabe que la pandilla “Mara Salvatrucha” es muy peligrosa, tanto en México como en todo centroamérica. Mucha de la delincuencia proviene de esta pandilla y desafortunadamente en algunas partes de Guatemala la violencia sigue creciendo.
Juan Ramón, habla poco inglés pero le gustaría seguir aprendiendo el idioma y a su hijo Juan José le interesa la profesión de electricidad y su deseo es poder estudiar para poder trabajar en esta profesión. Ellos fueron detenidos por la patrulla fronteriza y estuvieron en el centro de detención por 3 días. Después de haber sido liberados, ellos se dirigen a Houston, Texas, donde los espera su hermano.
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