Photo: Margarito Diaz
I’m a widow. They killed my husband and I was afraid that something will happen to my children. I have three boys, 13, 4 and 2. I saw about the caravan on television and when they passed through my town, I joined it. I had already thought of coming with my children. I felt more secure with the caravan.
It was very difficult. I carried my two-year-old son almost all the way. We walked 8 or 9 hours. My shoes broke, blisters came out on my feet. My children of 13 and 4 years old had to walk too. I even got a fever at night.
Many women and children died on the road. But the newspapers did not publish anything. The next day I would look in the newspaper to see if they mentioned it, but I never saw anything about it.
The people of México have treated us well, except here and Sinaloa. When we passed through Sinaloa, they did not let us get off the bus. The bus would only stop for us to go to the bathroom and then they would tell us to go back to the bus. They told us it was for our safety.
Then, here in Tijuana, people have stoned us. One night in the Benito Juárez camp they fired at the tents where we were. It was about two o’clock in the morning We put all the children in the tents and covered the tents with blankets so that the bullets would not go in. I think two ladies died.
I applied for the visa and they gave me a number close to a thousand. They told me it’s going to take two or three months to get an appointment.
I want to tell the people of the United States not to be afraid of us, that we are not criminals or terrorists, as Mr. Trump says. We only want to work. It’s not true what Mr. Trump says that we come here to be supported.
A special joint edition of the Tribuno del Pueblo and People’s Tribune
From the editors
Tribuno del Pueblo and People’s Tribune sent correspondents to the U.S-Mexico border at San Ysidro-Tijuana to bring our readers the voices of the migrant caravan that left Central America last October and reached Tijuana, Mexico in December.
The toxic combination of U.S. corporate political and economic policies, cartel violence, the destruction of their crops due to climate change and the corruption of their own government is forcing thousands of working people to leave Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
We’ve gathered the stories of the migrants and of the first responders in the battle against the wall and for human rights in this special issue. We thank all those who shared their stories and gave us their time, generosity and inspiration.
Our responsibility as faith-based activists, workers and human rights warriors is to do everything in our power to make sure that our government respects and upholds the human rights of the migrants. Our responsibility as human beings is to open our arms and welcome our sisters and brothers, just as others did before us.
No human being is illegal.
