Fear, bribes, gangs, coyotes: A Guatemalan's trek to the US
MarÃa Verza, Associated Press Updated 3:32 pm CDT, Tuesday, July 30, 2019
MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) — René, a 35-year-old man from Guatemala, stretched and paced inside a Tijuana warehouse as he awaited word that it was time for a three-day hike into California through the nearby mountains.
It would be his second attempt to cross the border illegally in a little over a month. Nearly $20,000 in debt to a series of "coyotes," or smugglers, he figured if he made it, it would take two years to pay off. If caught and deported, it could take 15 years — if the gangs back home don't kill him first.
Responding to a wave of Central American migrants and asylum seekers reaching the U.S. border in recent months, the United States and Mexico have tried to stem the flow, slow the pace at which people are allowed to request asylum and discourage others from coming. But tens of thousands are still heading north fleeing violence and poverty.
https://www.lmtonline.com/news/texas/article/Fear-bribes-gangs-coyotes-along-the-trek-to-14259532.php
