Mennonite Central Committee

I think of many people who would like to speak but cannot be here. There are many stories, many have died. Sometimes people from Mexico want to come to the United States because it’s the “thing to do”; they want to see what the United States is like. But what is happening is that the “American dream” is becoming the “American nightmare.”

Immigrants have limited choices.

I tried to come to the United States 10 years ago – crossing through the Rio Grande (river). I thought I would die that day. I came with my younger brother. There were 50 of us, and we had to cross the river. The coyotes were bad. They were only interested in money. We were afraid. There was no place to hide.

When we crossed the river, it was not very big but many have died there because of the whirlpools. Halfway across the river, the water covered our heads. Half of our group had crossed, but a strong current took some of the others down the river. The coyotes did not warn us that our heavy knapsacks would pull us back. I stayed with my brother in the middle of the river, until a coyote returned and helped us. Thank God, no one in the group died.

When we got out of the river, we started running because it sounded like there were hundreds of dogs surrounding us. I kept falling down, and after a while, Border Patrol officers caught us. Some of the coyotes disappeared, and we gave ourselves up. We returned to Mexico.

Five and a half years ago, I tried another route – the desert. This time, I basically jumped over the border fence. The cops were a few feet away, but I managed to get across. A car picked us up in Nogales, Arizona, and took us to Phoenix.

Joseph plans on returning to Mexico in a few months. He says that he will not return to the United States unless he has a visa.