Migrant Safe House Visit

To follow up with my trip to the Lucheria train yards, today I went to the Ecatepec migrant safe house and spoke to a handful of guys going north. All but one were from Honduras and the casa's sign-in book showed that 80% of all the migrants that come through are from Honduras. Then Nicaragua, then El Salvador, then Mexico and Guatemala. I don't know if that's a reflection of all northern migration these days, or just specific to this route. But they were all nice kids, almost sweet...innocent. Many didn't know how they were getting over the border once they got there. One guy's family prearranged with a coyote, one guy's brother is "bringing him in his car"—whatever that means—and one guy seems to think he can just drive over with his driver's license, even though he doesn't actually have it with him. All in all, there was very little knowledge and planning for a pretty darn big trip. But amazingly, most migrants do make it one way or another. Some get robbed or much worse along the way. A lot get caught after crossing the border, but as long as they don't have criminal record, they are usually held in detention for a little while and eventually dumped just over the border. This is how the U.S. deals with the "immigration problem". (Sometimes the U.S. makes the effort to release them far from where they were caught and if a migrant had crossed with his family, sometimes they will intentionally release members in towns many miles apart. "B's" immigration policy makes all kinds of sense in a lot of ways.) So some migrants need to make a few attempts, but in general, most make it. Many though don't have the resources, the knowledge or the balls to make a new attempt after their initial plans don't work. These are a whole pool people the safe houses are helping, too. And many have been separated from the people they came up north with and have spent all the money they had on their failed attempt to cross. So you're 2,000+ miles from your home country, by yourself, very tired, have no ID, are broke, have no idea how to get home and in a relatively violent country that could care less about your well-being. And you're a woman.