A nation’s journey to Del Rio, Texas
“Aren’t you afraid of being here in the United States without anyone to stay with?”, a volunteer asked a Venezuelan man in Spanish. “Afraid?,” he questioned with clouds in his eyes. “I was afraid in Venezuela. I was afraid when my entire family was murdered by police officers because I protested against the government. I sent my son away to Colombia just in time before the officers came after me and tortured me for months.
“…my entire family was murdered…they tortured me for months…hooked me by my clavicle, tied my hands…, starved me, lacerated me, and stabbed my stomach multiple times for months.”
They hooked me by my clavicle, tied my hands with chains, starved me, lacerated me, and stabbed my stomach multiple times for months. Afraid? I am not afraid of anything anymore.”, he replied. So is the story of many Venezuelans and Latin Americans fleeing their countries to Del Rio, Texas, before their final destination in the US.
Volunteering at Val Verde Humanitarian Border Coalition
The Val Verde Humanitarian Border Coalition (VVHBC) is at 1401 Las Vacas Street in Del Rio, Texas in front of the Lagos soccer field. There are tents, showers, sinks, and portable restrooms set up for use. As soon as refugees reach the coalition center from US Customs and Border Protection, they are grouped as couples and singles.
One of the leaders in charge at VVHBC is Tiffany Burrows. She leads the volunteers in packing and distributing food, organizing documents, cleaning the facilities, converting currencies, purchasing airplane and bus tickets, arranging taxis, and helping them connect with their families, among other things.
There is a strong need for volunteers who can speak or translate Spanish or French. Many local churches and organizations donate food, water, supplies, and clothes to the coalition center. What cannot be stored is donated to orphanages in Ciudad Acuña.
Once they reach Del Rio, volunteers help them purchase airplane and bus tickets to reach their final destination. It is a time sensitive environment because the refugees often only have an hour to get their arrangements in order to purchase their tickets before the next set of refugees arrive. The Del Rio International Airport is exclusive to American Airlines and only travels to the DFW airport. Airplane tickets often sell out quickly due to local demand. Bus rides will take them to the nearest largest city which is San Antonio.
Volunteering also consists of translating, converting their currencies, or talking to their family members on the phone to purchase their tickets. It is a group effort as other volunteers pack their drinks, lunches, and spend a few hours making sandwiches. Backpacks are assembled to provide the refugees with clothing, toothbrushes, soap, and other hygienic products.
Refugees from Latin America
There is a mix of refugees coming in through different ways and means. Some have traveled for a week or two via buses and airplanes through neighboring countries. Others have traveled for two months or a month and a half by foot. Still, others have traveled up to three months and chosen to camp in neighboring countries before traveling again. The majority speak Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Traveling through the Darién Gap
Refugees who are traveling from South to Central America must go through the Darién Gap. The Darién Gap is one of the most dangerous rainforests in the world where there is no connecting road through a hundred miles featuring deadly vipers, ticks, jaguars, spiders, guerilla groups, hazardous climate conditions, and criminal activity (including human trafficking, drug smuggling, theft, sexual assault, and murder). It is a week-long trip where those who get injured are usually left behind as the rest continue. As they reach Mexico, almost all of the refugees I spoke with have expressed extreme fear of being in Mexico as Mexican officials beat them up, rob them, and extort them of whatever they have. Once they make it to northern Mexico, they pay on average 700–800 US dollars to coyotes. Coyotes are human smugglers usually employed by drug cartels who exploit immigrants seeking safe passage into the United States. Some of the individuals I met have asked me to protect their identities by remaining anonymous.
Meet the Refugees Entering Del Rio
Aslene is a middle-aged Haitian man who lived in Chile before making his march to the US. He tells me he began his travels on March 2nd and camped out a few weeks before moving on again and making it to Del Rio in mid-June. He walked through 11 countries to get to Del Rio, Texas. He tells me that the Lord is great for bringing him safely and that he wants to stay in the United States forever.
Carlos, twenty-seven, walked 12 countries from Cuba to Suriname, avoiding Venezuela on his way to Central America. He traveled almost two months leaving in early May and making it to Del Rio in mid-June.
A Panamanian couple, who wishes to remain anonymous, left their country for political reasons, corruption with law enforcement, a lack of economic opportunities, and a lack of social norms. The boyfriend says crossing between Honduras and Guatemala was difficult as they had to hike mountain peaks for almost two hours. Crossing Guatemala to Mexico, they paid a small passage fee via an improvised floating raft consisting of pallet wood laid on large rubber tires.
Entering Mexico, he says the journey was more difficult due to being deported, robbed, or beaten by Mexican officials. He started his journey with 3,200 US dollars. As soon as he made it to Mexico, Mexican officers stole the 2000 US dollars he had leftover, took his documents, and beat him up along with his girlfriend who is expecting. As he and his girlfriend recovered, they marched on foot and buses from Tapachula, Chiapas, to Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila. He tells me he found some good people to travel with and gives thanks to God for it. They continued on their journey as his girlfriend retrieved donations from her family. After paying a large portion of the money to coyotes, he tells me the coyotes guided them with other refugees to cross through the monte (desert) to avoid border checkpoints. He advises any traveler or refugee to take airplanes and buses.
A Colombian man, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells me the political situation in Colombia motivated him to leave his country. He lived in Colombia for two years and claimed the country is almost identical politically and socially to its neighbor, Venezuela. The people in Colombia feel insecure and vulnerable to local authorities who enter homes and take whatever and whomever they want. People disappear without a trace, and in some cases, show up in local rivers. To leave Venezuela and Colombia, he had to walk through trochas or informal crossings. These trochas are operated by guerillas because the Venezuelan government has closed all borders to anyone coming in, including humanitarian aid. After crossing the trochas, he traveled via buses and airplanes to get to Del Rio, Texas. Entering Mexico, he says, was one of the most dangerous feats as some of his friends were beaten severely by local authorities. He paid coyotes 780.00 US dollars to safely take him through Mexico into the United States. Reaching Ciudad Acuña, local Mexican officers stole the money he had left. As he reached the US side of the border, he voluntarily turned himself to the US Customs and Border Protection. He is glad to make it to the US and tells me no vale la pena vivir en Venezuela (it is not worth living in Venezuela).
Petuel thirty-five, a Haitian man who lived in Chile for five years, walked 11 countries to get to Del Rio. He told me one of the most dangerous border crossings was hiking through the Darién Gap from Colombia to Panama. He walked through this rainforest for more than a week with little or nothing to eat. Petuel, is one of many Haitians crossing who has lived in Chile for a few years.
Clifford, twenty-six, is a Haitian man who lived in Brazil for two years. Clifford says he fled economic and job security problems in Haiti. Leaving Brazil in early May and reaching Del Rio in mid-June, Clifford walked 12 countries to reach Texas. He traveled with his wife and paid hundreds of dollars to coyotes. After making it to the US, Clifford is eager to start a new life in the US.
A fifty-eight-year-old Venezuelan woman flees to the US because of the colectivos in her country. Colectivos are extreme leftist organizations that support the regime of Nicolás Maduro. Colectivos receive support from the Bolivian government and engage in criminal activity such as kidnappings, theft, extortion, and murder. Colectivos threatened her life and harassed her physically. They threatened to hurt her more which made her nervous that she decided it was time to leave her country for good. She traveled through airplanes and buses to get from Venezuela to Ciudad Acuña and through the border to Del Rio before her final destination.
A seventy-six-year-old Venezuelan woman took more than five airplane trips and three buses to Ciudad Acuña. She was longing to see her children and grandchildren who live in Texas. Initially, she was not willing to make the long trip, but her family insisted on it. What motivated her to leave was the insecurity of the government in Venezuela. Armed officers threw a grenade at her son whose arm was torn apart in two, fingers blown to pieces, received facial damage from the shrapnel, and she tells me he is only alive because God allowed it. Another reason is that her passport was soon to expire. Currently, the Venezuelan government is making it very difficult for citizens to renew their passports to prevent them from leaving.
“Yo no lo vuelvo hacer nunca más. Eso es feo…”
As she was staying in Ciudad Acuña, she was woken by coyotes banging on her door at 1 AM, yelling at her to get up and get ready to cross. She tells me her experience with coyotes was the worst experience of her life, and she wishes that no person ever goes through this, “Yo no lo vuelvo hacer nunca más. Eso es feo, feo, feo!” Avoiding checkpoints, coyotes guided her and other migrants through the desert at night as most crossed through nopales and rocks before crossing the river. She told me those who lose control of themselves in the current of the Rio Grande are left alone and abandoned to their fate. She reminded herself she had to make this journey for her family and that one has to make these kinds of sacrifices. “Uno por su familia lo hace todo”. Because of the immense pain in her legs, one of her family members arranged that she cross on horseback. As soon as she made it to the United States, she was separated from her son when processed by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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