I want to tell you about a friend, a very close friend of mine who has embarked on a journey. This is a journey that millions of migrants have undertaken before to get to that 'land of opportunity;' the United States of America or wherever else they are able to get asylum.
My friend, let's call him Jose, left about a month ago. He left his family, his friends and the only country he has ever known. He left not because he wanted to, but because he was forced out. But this story I will tell another time. For now, I want to focus on his journey; a journey that will take a few months, all on foot, through jungles and rivers they will march. Groups upon groups, all handled by networks of human traffickers (or coyotes they call them), immigrants themselves, now making a living off of thousands of migrants desperate to leave their countries. They don't charge lightly either. A trip from Guyana to the U.S border ranges from $5,000 to $8,000 USD and more if you want to make the trip faster. And if something goes wrong along the way, it can end up costing more. The traffickers know these routes blindfolded and work with various locals along the way to ensure the migrants pass safely, or in other words various border patrol officers, armed groups in the jungles, and other people are paid money to let these migrants pass.
Josee is still in Brazil, making his way through the tall and dense jungles inhabited still by many indigenous groups living off the land. They usually just stare in awe at the passerbys, reaching out to them with curiosity. He tells me that Brazil is full of Venezuelans who have migrated in the thousands in recent months, escaping the poverty and hunger that has encapsulated the country. The situation has become so dire, that many Venezuelans sleep in tents and park benches waiting for any job that will help them live the day to day, most of them robbing other migrants of their only money. The situation is desperate. The Venezuelans aren't the only migrants escaping their country, you will also find Cubans and sometimes Africans, amongst others who usually pay for a safe passage with groups of coyotes that will trek with them till their destination.
Why do I bring up Jose's story? Because we have seen massive caravans of determined migrants traveling to get to the U.S, uncertain if they will even get the chance to cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. In 2018, this actually became a reality. Migrants, mostly Hondurans and women and their children, fled persecution, violence and extreme poverty for a chance of living a life of decency. Honduras, a crime-ridden country of approximately 9 million people has some of the highest murder rates in the world, it registers 60 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the United Nations. Femicide is rampant and women face high levels of violence at alarming rates. These individuals face a bleak future and feel they have no choice but to migrate to somewhere better, whether the U.S or even Mexico, if they will grant them asylum.
And in countries as far away as Brazil, there are other migrants, in groups of five to eight people (not too many as they cannot be seen), making their way to the U.S as well. My friend Jose is one of these. It is uncertain what will happen, but he and his other companions continue to trek, because going back home is not an option.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog....
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