Migrant's Despair Is Growing at U.S. Border. So Are Smugglers' Profits

Reynosa, Mexican border town is witnessing the struggle of desperate migrants not just from Mexico, but also other areas of  Latin America. Such is the case of Julian Escobar Moreno who immigrated from Honduras to Reynosa. He is intending to seek asylum in The United States because his life is in jeopardy as he refused to work for a gang called the 18th St back in his country. However, what he did not know was the Trump administration had shut down the federal government in a drastic move to collect funds for the building of a border wall to prevent more immigrants or criminals to cross the border illegally into the United States. Additionally, the U.S. has implemented a policy that admits only a few asylum seekers a day, making the wait extremely long.
As a result of the long delay, desperate immigrants turn to hire smugglers or "polleros" to help them cross illegally; they also raise their rates based on your nationality: the farther you are from the border, the more expensive the rate. Moreover, the number of apprehended people trying to cross is higher than ever. Despite all the danger and difficulties that immigrants encounter on their journey to the United States, they still want to cross. Migrants, such as Mr. Guillen from Guatemala, make statements such as: "Desperation makes you do crazy things. I don't think anything would stop me and certainly not a wall". 

By: Lupita Turriff
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/06/world/americas/mexico-migrants-smugglers.html