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The things migrants carried — and dropped — as they crossed the border

Author: Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Carolyn Cole

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-03-28/column-one-things-migrants-carried-and-dropped-as-they-crossed-the-border


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Source: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-03-28/column-one-things-migrants-carried-and-dropped-as-they-crossed-the-border

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People climb out of a boat.

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May 6
Kurt C Kurt C (May 06 2021 11:30PM) : it's a family, with kids in pajamas. they look like any other family, just one that had to take a long trip at an unfortunate time.
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May 11
Damian V Damian V (May 11 2021 5:28PM) : It looks like that a family came all together to cross the border to have a better opportunity for their future and for their kids. They are carrying their family and backpacks with stuff that are a necessity for them
Migrants reach the U.S. side of the Rio Grande. Most will shed possessions as they head into Texas in search of asylum and new lives.
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(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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MARCH 28, 2021

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5 AM PT

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A toddler’s muddy shoe.
An empty wallet.
A pink hairbrush.
A line of Scripture.

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May 3
Ginger B Ginger B (May 03 2021 2:00PM) : Young children had to undergo a great deal of stress moving across the US border. It is heartbreaking to imagine a child moving across miles of terrain with only one shoe.
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May 12
Jude R Jude R (May 12 2021 2:01PM) : This is important because it shows you what the kids carry and it shows that children cross the border.
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May 26
Grecia E Grecia E (May 26 2021 1:44PM) : Important more

This exemplifies how children are also crossing the border and risking there lives for a better life.

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Jun 5
Max S Max S (Jun 05 2021 3:36PM) : This shows some of the things that are left when migrants cross the border. The things symbolize how hard it is for them when they cross.
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May 6
Kurt C Kurt C (May 06 2021 11:15PM) : shows that children cross the border
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These and other possessions litter the dirt path leading uphill from the Rio Grande. Bright spots quickly coated with dust, they are what was carried and what was dropped by mothers, fathers and children, like the boy whose size 6 Batman underwear lay in a clearing beyond a thicket.

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May 4
Zephyr W Zephyr W (May 04 2021 2:54PM) : Often times I think migrants aren't thought of as people, just things coming to America to steal jobs or whatever. But this shows that we are all human. We all wear clothes, the batman underwear could be any little kid's underwear in America.
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May 4
Zuleika M Zuleika M (May 04 2021 5:03PM) : agreement more

i totally agree becuase migrants are known as aliens juts coming and suposely talking over people jobs but it isnt like that.

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May 6
Kurt C Kurt C (May 06 2021 11:19PM) : migrants enjoy the same things as us?
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Jun 5
blen r blen r (Jun 05 2021 8:22PM) : Children more

Imagine how hard and traumatizing it must be for the children

Birth certificates. Scribbled phone numbers. Prized belongings hauled for weeks over hundreds of miles. These, too, are scattered along the trail by migrants, their footsteps quiet in the night after they’ve crossed the river. But what shine most are the plastic wristbands — a rainbow of yellow, gray, red and blue spreading through the brush — some cinched to fit the smallest arms.

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May 4
john p john p (May 04 2021 3:29AM) : i think this is important to bring because it shows that youre a citizen and its always good to carry those things
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May 26
Grecia E Grecia E (May 26 2021 1:49PM) : Question more

I wonder how much losing these items impacts immigrants, if they manage to successfully cross. Especially the phone numbers since that was probably there main resource for help or getting ahold of there family.

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May 3
Owen G Owen G (May 03 2021 3:00PM) : This just shows how important the things that these people bring with them are.
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May 4
Zuleika M Zuleika M (May 04 2021 5:04PM) : summary more

this tells us the things they would carry with them

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May 6
Kurt C Kurt C (May 06 2021 11:19PM) : ? more

i dont know what these are?

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May 6
Kurt C Kurt C (May 06 2021 11:19PM) : i guess?

Many are printed with a single word: entregas. Deliveries.

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A smuggler’s code.

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Collage of six photos of items like wallets, brushes, bags, diapers, hats, wristbands and money lying in the dirt

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May 11
Damian V Damian V (May 11 2021 5:31PM) : The image shows how much these items are important to them, since they brought it with them on their journey for a better life [Edited]
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Jun 5
Max S Max S (Jun 05 2021 3:47PM) : One thing I can infer about the person who was carrying these items is that they often have less well known brands and generally don't have much money. This can be seen by the fact that the colors are mismatched and there is no recognizable brand names.
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Jun 5
blen r blen r (Jun 05 2021 8:24PM) : These items found show exactly what they had to do and how scary it must have been for the chidden for example
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Carry-on items 0
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May 3
Jordan G Jordan G (May 03 2021 1:46PM) : this image shows how they carry everyday items and how they are no different from the average person.
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May 5
William S William S (May 05 2021 12:29PM) : this image is important because it clearly shows what items were brought with them
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May 5
Julian S Julian S (May 05 2021 1:46PM) : Specifically the diaper shows that many people come with very young children. I can only imagine how difficult that journey must be while looking after a child.
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May 5
Zephyr W Zephyr W (May 05 2021 2:56PM) : It seems that they pack very light and only bring the essentials. Not much room for personal belongings. In the bottom middle, we can see the wristbands they use to show that they have paid to get here.
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May 6
Matthew Z Matthew Z (May 06 2021 6:09PM) : This image is an important aspect of what the families came in with when they moved. They didn't bring much but I did see a diaper which concludes that there were children.
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May 7
Chloe B Chloe B (May 07 2021 11:53PM) : I wonder how much losing these items impacted a person or family. For example, that money dropped could have been the last little someone had.
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May 8
Cyrus E Cyrus E (May 08 2021 2:18AM) : This image shows what families wanted to carry with them across the boarder. It's important because these things may have been valuable and helpful to them
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May 8
Halimah M Halimah M (May 08 2021 9:56PM) : this picture shows what was taken with them and what was left. i think i see a picture of a diaper which indicates that there were babies.
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May 10
Jaden J Jaden J (May 10 2021 9:41PM) : This image is important because it shows how similar these people are to Americans. I could easily see any American family owning any of these items.
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Jun 7
Grecia E Grecia E (Jun 07 2021 5:18AM) : Image more

This picture illustrates the everyday necessities that undocumented immigrants bring throughout there journey. Doesn’t seem like a lot of stuff wonder how valuable all of this is to them.

Pieces of migrants’ lives are left behind as they cross the Rio Grande into Texas in search of U.S. asylum.
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(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Mexican traffickers have been ferrying families and unaccompanied children, many from Central America, across the river on rafts and into Texas’ Rio Grande Valley this month. They affix the wristbands to migrants as proof of payment. The wristbands are migrants’ claves — their keys to safe passage — and those without them say they’ve been kidnapped by smugglers and held until relatives or friends agreed to pay their fee, at least $6,000.

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Jun 5
blen r blen r (Jun 05 2021 8:23PM) : Its very important because its showing us how people manage to migrate
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May 6
ahmed s ahmed s (May 06 2021 11:40PM) : important because it shows how people get into america
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Jun 5
Max S Max S (Jun 05 2021 3:41PM) : Im curious why they are called traffickers because i thought trafficking was always bad. I had no idea that it was called the same thing for trying to get people to freedom.
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May 4
Jennifer M Jennifer M (May 04 2021 2:46PM) : I think that these are important becuase without them, they could be in serious danger, and that is what some of them are trying to leave from
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May 6
Matthew Z Matthew Z (May 06 2021 10:29PM) : this is important because we see the system going on where the wristbands indicate which people will be allowed to migrate.
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May 7
Mazda N Mazda N (May 07 2021 2:39PM) : sentence more

This information is important because it shows what these people have to do in order to get in America,

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May 8
Cyrus E Cyrus E (May 08 2021 1:58AM) : Importance more

This is an example of something that they carried that is very important

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May 8
Halimah M Halimah M (May 08 2021 9:47PM) : this is important because it is proof that they are allowed to migrate.
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May 11
Dylan Y Dylan Y (May 11 2021 7:20PM) : A question I have is that couldn't they just make fake ones so they wouldn't have to pay
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May 3
Owen G Owen G (May 03 2021 8:05PM) : So these wristbands are important for their safety.

The wristbands dangle from the brush like strange ornaments. Some who wore them would be sent back to Mexico. Others would die trying to find home in a new land.

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May 7
Chloe B Chloe B (May 07 2021 2:05PM) : Risk is a huge part of this brutal journey people embark on. There are never times when safety is guaranteed regardless of having a wristband.
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May 8
Halimah M Halimah M (May 08 2021 9:54PM) : Why? I thought that's what proved that it was okay for them to cross?
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State troopers who patrol the area with night vision goggles say a smuggler recently dropped a 2-year-old in the river to divert the troopers from seizing a raft. Earlier this month, a pregnant woman went into labor on the riverbank and lost her baby. More recently, about 200 miles upriver from Roma, a 9-year-old girl died while crossing the river with her Guatemalan mother and young brother.

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May 5
Zachary J Zachary J (May 05 2021 1:55PM) : Important more

This paragraph shows the great lengths people are willing to go to be smuggled into america.

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May 10
Jaden J Jaden J (May 10 2021 9:37PM) : This Paragraph is important because it shows the dangers and risks people will face when crossing the US border. [Edited]
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May 4
john p john p (May 04 2021 3:32AM) : i think the emotional burden would be huge because that woman was probably trying to get a better life for the baby and thats just so sad
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May 5
William S William S (May 05 2021 12:31PM) : this paragraph shows the risk people are willing to take for better opportunties
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May 7
Toby H Toby H (May 07 2021 9:53PM) : Importance more

This paragraph stresses to me how privileged those that are born in the US are and how much people will work to obtain that privilege not granted to them at birth.

A father exiting a boat reaches out a hand to a boy.

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May 3
Axel R Axel R (May 03 2021 1:53PM) : This picture conveys how people of all ages try to cross the border in search of a better life. It also shows how often times these situations are extremely stressful and tense.
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May 4
Zuleika M Zuleika M (May 04 2021 5:07PM) : image more

The photo shows that any age try’s to cross the border

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May 6
Matthew Z Matthew Z (May 06 2021 10:31PM) : This image shows that even children are helping out with crossing borders which means they are understanding the situation that they are in
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May 7
Toby H Toby H (May 07 2021 9:58PM) : Image more

This image shows how difficult the trip is to especially for young children.

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May 8
Halimah M Halimah M (May 08 2021 9:57PM) : this picture shows that even children have to experience this.
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May 11
Damian V Damian V (May 11 2021 5:36PM) : The image shows the ages of each person crossing the border to have a better life. Shows any age can do the sacrifice to have a better life.
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children 0
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May 3
Jordan G Jordan G (May 03 2021 1:45PM) : This image shows how young children are taken on the journey with them. This image also shows how this is recent due to the COVID-19 masks
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May 6
ahmed s ahmed s (May 06 2021 11:42PM) : it shows that even children are involved
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May 7
Mazda N Mazda N (May 07 2021 3:05PM) : image more

This shows an old man who is getting help from a very young boy in order to cross the river. This shows that people of many ages are involved in this.

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kid 0
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May 11
Dylan Y Dylan Y (May 11 2021 7:22PM) : this imagine stands out to me because the kid looks 3 or 4 years old. I think its crazy that they would risk a kid that youngs life to find a better home for them
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May 13
Jude R Jude R (May 13 2021 1:47AM) : This shows that maybe this is a more recent photo perhaps and that is why he is wearing a mask
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May 13
Jude R Jude R (May 13 2021 1:53AM) : He seems as though he is extremely fearful for the kid and is probably some form of a caretaker.
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Jude R Jude R (May 13 2021 1:54AM) : The kid comes across as kind of like an oblivious kid he seems focused but he doesn't look nervous like the older man does and kind of just comes across as an oblivious kid.
A Salvadoran boy, Carlos, gets help steadying himself on a rock in Roma, Texas, after taking a raft across the Rio Grande with father Eddy, left, and others.
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(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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When migrants near shore, troopers yank at their inflatable rafts, puncturing some and setting them aside like trophies. The migrants shed what they own as they hustle up the path from the river

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toward U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in a hilltop parking lot.

From there, the migrants are taken to an overcrowded holding area, where more than 4,200 people are squeezed into a space designed for 250. Many are crossing this month for the first time; they aren’t worried about what they might need if they’re sent back to Mexico.

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May 7
Toby H Toby H (May 07 2021 9:48PM) : Confusion/question more

Why is it that migrants head towards the holding facility and not away.

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May 3
Ginger B Ginger B (May 03 2021 2:04PM) : Migrants are often treated inhuman like and discriminated against.
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“I’m going to help him until the day I die.”

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LILIANA DE JESUS GALDAMEZ MORALES, MOTHER OF ERICK DAVID LANDAVERDE GALDAMEZ, 15

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Martha Ramirez Amaya has come north from Honduras after losing her home in Hurricane Eta. Smugglers force her and her 5-year-old son, Elvin, out of the raft. She tumbles into the shallows, soaking her black coat and jeans. When she makes it to shore, Ramirez, 20, feels for the gold medallion she wears around her neck for protection. It’s there. She hurries toward the Border Patrol flashlights on the hill.

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May 4
Zephyr W Zephyr W (May 04 2021 2:57PM) : This isn't someone who has someplace to go back to. Her entire home and way of life has been destroyed and America is her only hope. There's no place for her to make money from except America because there isn't any place left.
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May 10
lucas f lucas f (May 10 2021 1:54PM) : Similar to the book, sentimental items can, even if only for a moment, bring comfort to someone who has nowhere else to go
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Ramirez and others follow the trail as it splits and winds through the brush, their possessions often falling onto land owned by Jorge Barrera’s family. Barrera, who fishes from the riverbank at dusk, has called Border Patrol to complain about bags of Cheetos, powdered baby formula and other trash. But it continues to accumulate as migrants push on despite the pandemic, smugglers’ threats and the needle-sharp crown of thorn bushes.

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A group of migrants, some crying, stand together at night

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May 3
Eric G Eric G (May 03 2021 1:46PM) : Image more

This image stands out to me because it captures the difficulty and emotional strain on migrants.

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May 6
Matthew Z Matthew Z (May 06 2021 10:36PM) : This is image is very powerful because we can see their emotions about the situation that they are in. Despite the pandemic they are feeling more pain.
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May 6
Owen G Owen G (May 06 2021 11:00PM) : This picture encapsulates just how hard and draining the voyage is.
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praying 0
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May 3
Jordan G Jordan G (May 03 2021 1:51PM) : During the time they stop and pray, they are hoping to make it to their destination safely. This time seems to me as a sad moment because they know the dangers they are up against.
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May 3
Nimra R Nimra R (May 03 2021 10:17PM) : Image analysis more

The fear and hope in this image are undeniable. From the expressions on the people’s faces to the way they are grasping each other’s hands.

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May 4
Jennifer M Jennifer M (May 04 2021 2:49PM) : This image is very moving becuase you can see by the expressions on their faces that they are hoping for everything to go safely and well, but everything is uncertain so they are also scared.
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May 7
Chloe B Chloe B (May 07 2021 11:44PM) : This really shows the mental toll these journey's take on people and their families. The looks of loss and desperation mixed with a sense of hope stands out the most.
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May 6
David K David K (May 06 2021 8:20PM) : This woman is crying and in pain. I don't think she wants to be in this situation at all. more

It makes me think about how so many immigrants are forced into coming here. It’s not really a choice. They are forced by war, gangs, poverty. They carry only memories and hopes.

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May 6
ahmed s ahmed s (May 06 2021 11:42PM) : they look sad
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May 7
Toby H Toby H (May 07 2021 9:51PM) : Image analysis more

This image shows how difficult and meaningful it is to make the treacherous journey.

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May 7
Mazda N Mazda N (May 07 2021 3:07PM) : image more

This image is important because it shows that many immigrants will sacrifice their family and loved ones in order to have a better life in another country.

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May 8
Cyrus E Cyrus E (May 08 2021 2:05AM) : This image really shows the expressions of the sad and tired immigrants who have been traveling
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Jun 7
Grecia E Grecia E (Jun 07 2021 5:16AM) : Image more

I chose this image since it shows the emotional pain they are in. All of them are praying that there trip is a success. Can’t imagen the emotions they might be feeling.

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After crossing the Rio Grande, migrants stop to pray before continuing on their way to apply for asylum in the U.S.
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(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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The migrants begin to shed all but their most prized possessions once they reach shore. Jonatan Cruz, 31, and his Guatemalan family drop their expired Mexican residency permits. Others have left sweatshirts, size 23 toddler shoes, Avon strawberry lip balm, disposable diapers, masks, Garanimals khakis (size 2T), a red Hello Kitty purse and a Texas flag backpack. When their wet jackets snag on trees, they slip them off and leave them suspended in the dark, like ghosts.

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May 10
jade B jade B (May 10 2021 1:15PM) : Loss and Lost more

The items that they have lost seem so important. What will they do now that they don’t have their birth certificates Or their family’s contact information. Scary.

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May 4
Jennifer M Jennifer M (May 04 2021 2:50PM) : They have to leave many of their things behind in order to move forwards which could hold sentimental value.
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May 10
jade B jade B (May 10 2021 1:11PM) : This shows how unimportant some of the items produce by mass marketing is. more

The things they let go of are often items of the capatilistic marketing of power countries, for example Hello Kitty purse, Avon strawberry lip balm. All stuff that we are made to think to need and can’t live without

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Julian S Julian S (May 05 2021 1:32PM) : Important more

This shows how these migrants are willing to risk everything to find a new life. There won’t be much waiting for them if they are turned back.

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May 6
Matthew Z Matthew Z (May 06 2021 10:38PM) : this important information tells us that they are giving up what they are carrying in order for a better future in America.
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They stumble forward without flashlights into the scrubby oak and sage. They clutch what they need most: valid identification and scraps of paper bearing the phone numbers of friends and family in the U.S. Youths traveling alone keep contact numbers tucked in their pockets, if not written on their chests by their parents before leaving home.

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Zachary J Zachary J (May 05 2021 1:59PM) : Important more

This paragraph shows how much these people value and put faith in the idea of america being a great country. They only care about their identification so long as they are able to get across the border safely.

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May 6
David K David K (May 06 2021 8:05PM) : This reminds me of my dad more

My dad came from Brazil with his family when he was 16. He crossed the border in the same way. The family started with luggage but it was stolen. All they had was an address and phone number of a friend in Richmond.

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May 12
Jude R Jude R (May 12 2021 2:09PM) : This paragraph to me shows how much hope they have about america being this promising place. They just bring the bare minimum to get over here which is their id.
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May 3
Axel R Axel R (May 03 2021 2:01PM) : This image shows that they leave lots of their clothing behind as they jump off the rafts at night. What's interesting about this picture is that you can kind of imagine the scene of what happened here earlier without it actually being pictured.
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May 4
Zuleika M Zuleika M (May 04 2021 5:08PM) : photo more

well i see a kids jacket and they probobly droped it on accient and they might it later on due to the cold

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May 5
William S William S (May 05 2021 12:33PM) : this stands out to me because it shows how items are lost along the way
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May 6
ahmed s ahmed s (May 06 2021 11:42PM) : they left clothes
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May 7
Toby H Toby H (May 07 2021 9:59PM) : Image more

This image shows things left behind in the rush to keep moving.

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May 8
Halimah M Halimah M (May 08 2021 9:59PM) : you can see what was left behind,a jacket most likely belonged to a child.
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May 9
Ammaar k Ammaar k (May 09 2021 8:29PM) : form this image we can tell that they left clothes behind. from this image we can infer that they leave a lot of the things they carry that being physical or emotional .
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Jun 5
Max S Max S (Jun 05 2021 3:58PM) : Here, it can be inferred that the migrants were in a hurry. They left their jackets and clothes which most likely means that they were rushed and under pressure.
A child’s jacket and pair of pants left on the banks of the Rio Grande by migrants.
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(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Bessy Yamileth Gómez Flores carries a notebook scribbled with Matthew 21:22: “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Another woman drops a pink pleather purse stuffed with a wad of wilted Honduran bills.

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May 26
Grecia E Grecia E (May 26 2021 1:27PM) : Important more

I thought this was pretty significant because it illustrates how for the vast majority of immigrants coming to America represents a beacon of hope for them.

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Others carry their hopes. Salvadoran Fatima Pineda Vasquez, 16, wants to be an architect. She has come with her 12-year-old nephew, who wants to be a surgeon. They plan to join his mother, Fatima’s older sister, in Missouri.

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Nimra R Nimra R (May 03 2021 10:11PM) : Important more

Examples of things people carry that aren’t necessarily physical.

Many bring pruebas, or proof, of the threats and violence they’re fleeing in Central America. They hope to present them as evidence to request asylum. They also carry Central American birth certificates, precious to migrant parents anxious about being separated from their children by U.S. authorities, and to youths traveling without adults. Those who can show they’re under 18 are released to friends and family in the U.S. and can pursue their immigration claims. Those who can’t prove their age face potential expulsion to Mexico.

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Ammaar k Ammaar k (May 09 2021 8:25PM) : important more

shows us that they are afraid of being separated from there loved ones

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Axel R Axel R (May 03 2021 2:03PM) : Important information more

The proof of fleeing violence is crucial to be able to apply for asylum.

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Mazda N Mazda N (May 07 2021 2:52PM) : Question more

In what ways do these proofs help them?

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ahmed s ahmed s (May 06 2021 11:43PM) : it shows they are scared to be separated
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Dylan Y Dylan Y (May 11 2021 7:18PM) : This is important because if your under 18 you can go into America without getting held and have to wait
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May 4
Jennifer M Jennifer M (May 04 2021 2:52PM) : This could be very scary especially since many people have children and family that they could possibly get seperated from
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May 6
David K David K (May 06 2021 8:27PM) : I think they try to separate families more

My dad and my grandfather were separated from my aunt and my grandmother. Then they took my uncle, who was only a baby, away for two weeks. Now he has mental illness.

A line of migrant adults and children standing before a Border Patrol agent at night.

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Ginger B Ginger B (May 03 2021 9:48PM) : This image stands out to me because it signifies the importance of family and community. During these tough times, children and parents only have each other to rely on.
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May 5
Zachary J Zachary J (May 05 2021 2:06PM) : Here I see Parents holding their kids with looks of desperation as the officer inspects their papers.
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May 10
lucas f lucas f (May 10 2021 1:51PM) : these peoples' lives are in the hands of some agent, and for no good reason he is placed in a position where he gets to make a decision for them.
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Jun 7
Grecia E Grecia E (Jun 07 2021 5:20AM) : Image more

They all look drained, tired, and cold. Sad to see them at this state especially the fact that these kids have to endure so much hardship.

Asylum seekers are allowed to keep only a few personal items, like cellphones and important documents. Most everything else must be discarded.
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Eric G Eric G (May 03 2021 1:51PM) : Important Information more

Even if they make it to the US with their belongings, migrants are only allowed to keep few possessions, out of the few things they already have coming into the country.

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May 3
Jordan G Jordan G (May 03 2021 1:53PM) : Most of their valubles and items they cherish have to be left behind. They are VERY limited to things they can take with them. Which means, when they get to where they are going, they will have to start from scratch.
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May 8
Cyrus E Cyrus E (May 08 2021 2:13AM) : Things more

As if crossing the boarder isn’t hard enough already they are also limited on the things that they can bring over

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Mazda N Mazda N (May 07 2021 3:02PM) : sentence more

This is important because it shows that after they make it to the U.S., they have to basically get rid of everything they had. They will only be able to keep a few things.

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As migrants pick their way uphill, vital paperwork is lost, including two birth certificates tucked inside a black diaper bag discarded along the trail. They belong to Honduran migrant Maryi Jennifer Amaya Mejia, 22, and her 2-year-old daughter, Jenice Paola. Across the top of one of the papers, someone has printed a Connecticut phone number.

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Amaya’s mother, Lidia Mejia, answers the call. She crossed into the U.S. six years ago after her two sons were slain. When the men who killed them threatened the family again this year, she says, she sent for her daughter and granddaughter. Amaya and Jenice arrived in Waterbury, Conn., a week ago, she says.

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Nimra R Nimra R (May 03 2021 10:13PM) : Important Information more

It’s clear that there are lots of internal issues as well. Not just crossing over the border.

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She passes the phone to Amaya, who says she is happy to have crossed the river safely. She had forgotten to retrieve her documents when she left the diaper bag behind. As her toddler babbles in the background, Amaya asks to have the certificates mailed to her new address, the one she scrawled across the copies before leaving Honduras.

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Three deflated black plastic rafts lie in the dirt.

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May 5
Zephyr W Zephyr W (May 05 2021 2:54PM) : The boats seem pretty small, but they are probably bigger when inflated. I wonder how many people they jam in here when crossing the river.
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May 6
David K David K (May 06 2021 8:24PM) : The boats are deflated, so are the people. more

The boats seem like a symbol of lives flattened out. There’s no air, no escape. Maybe the people who had been in these boats made it across and have found new lives, or maybe they are stuck in those horrible detention centers.

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Jun 5
Max S Max S (Jun 05 2021 4:06PM) : The boats seem dangerous because the river that is on the boarder is pretty dangerous. I think the people that were on the boats had hard lives and were looking for more oppertunities.
Border Patrol agents confiscated three plastic rafts used by smugglers to get migrants across the Rio Grande.
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Zuleika M Zuleika M (May 04 2021 5:09PM) : photo more

this photo shows that they would use whatever they could to cross

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May 6
David K David K (May 06 2021 8:07PM) : Who are the smugglers? more

Who are the smugglers? They used to be called coyotes.

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Another crumpled scrap of paper adrift in the brush near the river has “Papi” and “Mari” scrawled in pen next to northern Virginia phone numbers. The first one doesn’t work. But Mari Vicente answers the second.

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Vicente, 30, a homemaker from Guatemala living in the U.S. legally, says she isn’t sure who carried her number across the border.

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Axel R Axel R (May 03 2021 2:04PM) : Question more

This raises the mysterious question of who brought her number across and what ended up happening to them since they lost her number.

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A group of migrant adults and children sit on the ground next to a van at night

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May 3
Axel R Axel R (May 03 2021 1:57PM) : This picture stands out to me because you can really feel the emotions and difficulty that these migrants face. The two people in the center look incredibly sad and tired but there also appears to be a little hope in the girls eyes.
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May 4
Zephyr W Zephyr W (May 04 2021 3:01PM) : This image shows part of the process. This isn't at some fancy facility; these people are held out in the cold for who knows how long while waiting to see if they can even make it in. You can really see how this is taking an emotional toll on the man
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May 5
Julian S Julian S (May 05 2021 1:50PM) : I can imagine that the processing must be very tiring and stressful. I wonder how long it usually takes.
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May 5
Zachary J Zachary J (May 05 2021 2:05PM) : This looks like a family and what stands out the most is the man holding what I can only assume are identification or immigration documents. There are what I think are diapers on the floor next to one of the kids but I don't see much else.
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May 7
Mazda N Mazda N (May 07 2021 3:09PM) : image [Edited] more

This image shows that these immigrants are very tired. It also shows all of the things they have to go through in order to be able to enter the U.S.

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May 10
jade B jade B (May 10 2021 1:18PM) : I see this little guy and i think of my little brother Eddie. He has the same kind of sweat pants and is so young and innocent. What must he be feeling? What fill his dreams as he sleeps?
Asylum seekers wait for the Border Patrol to process them, then await transport to their next stop.
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“I can’t tell you because I don’t have family coming here,” she says.

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Vicente has a friend in Guatemala, a 24-year-old woman with a 7-year-old son, who talked about migrating to the U.S. recently after she was threatened by gangs. But Vicente is sure her friend is still in Guatemala.

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“She heard parents with children could come,” says Vicente. “So she may come for the opportunity.”

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Lodged at the foot of a mesquite tree near the river, wrapped in a small plastic bag, is a neatly folded copy of the Salvadoran birth certificate for 15-year-old Erick David Landaverde Galdamez. Inside, someone tucked a small rectangle of notepaper with handwritten phone numbers and email addresses, including the number for his mother in Ohio.

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Backpacks, purses and a belt lying in the dirt

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May 3
Ginger B Ginger B (May 03 2021 9:52PM) : These migrants must have felt a great deal of emotional burden while being stripped of most of their belongings. Backpacks, purses, and belts are all necessities.
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May 5
Zachary J Zachary J (May 05 2021 2:04PM) : The migrants who carried these bags appeared to have had baby clothes in one of them. The others a closed so I can't see what is inside them.
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May 10
lucas f lucas f (May 10 2021 1:49PM) : everything is out of necessity. In their situation they have to make choices all the time of what they are willing to give up for a chance at a better, safer life
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May 10
jade B jade B (May 10 2021 1:21PM) : Their stuff looks like my stuff. I can imagine the little pink purse being special and then when it really comes down to life and death, it means nothing.
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Backpacks, purses and a belt left by migrants on the path leading north from the Rio Grande in Roma, Texas.
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Eric G Eric G (May 03 2021 1:48PM) : Question more

Why do migrants leave possessions like these behind?

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(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Border Patrol agents called the number late at night last weekend to ask: “Are you the mother of Erick?”

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Liliana de Jesus Galdamez Morales, who crossed the border illegally years ago, says yes.

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Agents say her son is in custody, ask for her address and say to expect another call. They don’t say when.

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The Border Patrol doesn’t usually allow youths to make phone calls. Agents confiscate their belts and shoelaces and issue them wristband IDs. But the agency is required by law to transfer youths within 72 hours to federal shelters. Once there, the young migrants are supposed to be allowed to call their parents. But Erick — who goes by his middle name, David — hasn’t called.

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On Wednesday, Galdamez calls a federal hotline. A woman tells her David is at a federal shelter. She must wait for a government social worker to call this weekend.

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A Border Patrol agent bends over to take a plastic bag of personal items from a migrant woman sitting on the ground

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May 7
Chloe B Chloe B (May 07 2021 11:27PM) : Youths have to endure a brutal journey, then once they make it to the US they continue to face hardships.
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May 10
jade B jade B (May 10 2021 1:23PM) : Why can't children use a phone? This makes no sense. If they have a number written on their chest they should be able to call home.
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Kurt C Kurt C (May 06 2021 11:33PM) : These poor people are at the mercy of this random guy. he works border patrol, so that might be all you need to know about his character
Before leaving the riverside, migrants receive plastic property bags labeled “Homeland Security” and government “baggage check” tags for their belongings.
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(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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A few days before he crossed the river over a week ago, David sent his mother a message on Facebook telling her not to worry. But Galdamez, 39, has been having headaches ever since her eldest son received threats from a gang in El Salvador and fled March 4.

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He’s a shy boy, she says — good at math, a homebody who lived with his grandmother and 8-year-old sister in Nueva Concepción. He helps around the house after school and hopes to study business administration or maybe become a doctor, his mother says.

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Galdamez left for the U.S. with her husband when David was 2. They built a new life with three younger children. She’s a homemaker; her husband paints houses. One night this week, after he came home from work, she caught him crying in his room, desperate to see their son. They paid $4,000 to smuggle David north. They have a room waiting for him, and she has made him pupusas.

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“I’m going to help him until the day I die,” she says by phone from her home in Columbus, where she is awaiting the social worker’s call about when and how she might claim her son.

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Jennifer M Jennifer M (May 04 2021 2:55PM) : She just wants the best for her child
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Galdamez asks to have the dusty copy of her son’s birth certificate mailed to her. She hopes it might help him stay in the U.S. legally.

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“He has his pruebas,” she says. “I’m not here legally, but I’ve never done anything against this country.”

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May 5
Julian S Julian S (May 05 2021 1:42PM) : Important more

This is a really tough idea. People must think it’s unfair; the idea that they are illegal yet they didn’t really do anything wrong.

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May 6
David K David K (May 06 2021 8:14PM) : Paperwork more

My dad came here in 1997 but he wasn’t legal until 2015. At first he was going to try to do DACA because he was barely 16 when he crossed. But he had no pruebas of that time. All the paperwork was gone. He did nothing wrong but his family came here so he did too.

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May 26
Grecia E Grecia E (May 26 2021 1:38PM) : Important more

Personally I thought this is a significant part of the text because I know many immigrants/ people that come here illegally can strongly resonate with this. I know people even family members who basically say the same thing. (although coming here is against the law many of them haven’t put this country in danger or committed crimes)

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A group of people in inflatable rafts landing on a riverbank

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May 3
Eric G Eric G (May 03 2021 1:50PM) : Image more

This photo is interesting to me because you can see how much they are willing to go through just to get to the US, like crossing a wide river.

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May 3
Ginger B Ginger B (May 03 2021 9:56PM) : You can infer that migrants are driven because of the great lengths they go to cross the border. The boat is very crowded and the trip must have been in the nighttime because of the lantern.
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May 6
Matthew Z Matthew Z (May 06 2021 10:45PM) : I can infer that they are arriving to shore but the whole boat is crowded with people and children
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May 3
Jordan G Jordan G (May 03 2021 2:05PM) : To me this looks like their way of transpertation. Also, majority of the people on this boat are children, besides a few adults. It seems like the children are separated from adults and are pilled onto their own boat [Edited]
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May 5
Julian S Julian S (May 05 2021 1:48PM) : Looks super crowded and uncomfortable. I wonder how long it takes to cross the river.
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May 6
Kurt C Kurt C (May 06 2021 11:47PM) : I've been rafting for fun before and it sucked so I can't imagine how much worse it must have been for them
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May 7
Chloe B Chloe B (May 07 2021 11:50PM) : The rafts have to hold numerous people most of the time probably past carrying capacity. A long-term trip in these rafts with multiple people has to be uncomfortable and dangerous.
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May 8
Cyrus E Cyrus E (May 08 2021 2:20AM) : You can see the raft is very crowded and looks uncomfortable. But they are desperate to all travel no matter how
Migrants are smuggled across the Rio Grande on their way to seek asylum in the U.S.
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(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
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Before leaving the riverside, migrants receive plastic property bags labeled “Homeland Security” and government “baggage check” tags for their belongings. The night wind snatches a few, strewing them across the bushes, including one belonging to 9-year-old Jacsi Carranza Novoa of Honduras, whose tag says she arrived alone.

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Some of the property bags accompany youths like Jacsi to federal shelters. Others are returned to migrant families being released to a local church, where they receive donated food, clothes and prayer cards that read: “I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.”

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Not everyone makes it to the church. The bags belonging to migrants expelled to Mexico blow in drifts on border bridges.

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May 6
Matthew Z Matthew Z (May 06 2021 10:41PM) : question more

Why don’t they all make it to the church?

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At the foot of the bridge in Reynosa, Mexico, migrant families, many still wearing Border Patrol-issued wristbands, open their bags only to discover that they have lost more than a chance at a new life.

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“We don’t have phones or anything to communicate with people. What can we do?” says Norma Najera Perez, 23, holding out her empty hands to her daughter, Sandy Ortega Najera. The 7-year-old wears a wristband that reads “Property: None.”

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“We dropped everything at the river,” says Cesar Garcia, 50, a Guatemalan machine operator who crossed the Rio Grande with his three sons, ages 8, 10 and 12, hoping to join his wife in Los Angeles.

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Reynosa is a cartel hub where Central American migrants are easy prey. Those who stay near the bridge risk assault, kidnapping and extortion. But so do those who try to leave by taxi. Few can even afford the fare.

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May 10
Jaden J Jaden J (May 10 2021 9:55PM) : I wonder if the government is doing anything to combat this
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May 26
Grecia E Grecia E (May 26 2021 1:41PM) : Question more

How many political officials are aware of this and what measures are they taking to prevent this from happening?

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“Where are we supposed to go without money?” asks Najera. “I’m scared to spend the night here.”

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“Many don’t have homes to go back to,” says a 17-year-old Guatemalan, Yan Alfaro.

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Scores of migrants camp together in a nearby park. They spread their few belongings across the concrete floor of a gazebo. They ponder what to do next.

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And they long for the Mexican cellphones, snacks and pesos they dropped in haste in the dust of the opposite riverbank, in the land that wouldn’t take them.

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Carolyn Cole

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Carolyn Cole is a staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times. Her coverage of the civil crisis in Liberia won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography. Cole has been named U.S. newspaper photographer of the year three times. Cole grew up in California and Virginia, before attending the University of Texas, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She went on to earn a master of art’s degree from Ohio University.

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DMU Timestamp: March 29, 2021 09:11

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May 9
Ammaar k Ammaar k (May 09 2021 8:24PM) : summary more

shows us that children also had to go thought a lot of difficulties.

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May 10
jade B jade B (May 10 2021 1:27PM) : They risk everything to make this journey and they leave with nothing. How is this possible that the US sends them back with nothing to help them survive? Do they think this is a deterrent? Clearly it isn't as they keep coming.
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