Korin Anderson

Associate Producer, NGT

Wow, I know that Mexico is another country,–Mexicans eat different food, wear different clothes and speak a different language-- but I am still impressed with how a just crossing a tiny, man-made border line can change the world. Nogales, Mexico even smells different than Nogales, Arizona--I think it might be that they cook their foods in a different kind of oil than we do. And oh, how good that food tastes! I am delighting in the crazy little road-side taco stands, and the street vendors selling tasty treats through the car windows. I am again thankful that my mom insisted that I learn Spanish because it is infinitely more fun to be able to understand all (okay, some) of the street noise. We drove for about three hours this morning and arrived in a dusty little town. Franc introduced us to the local priest who takes care of the permanent population as well as the countless migrants who pass through Altar each month. The padre took us on a back door tour of the town introducing us to both the seedy side, and the parish grandmothers. We met the local prostitutes, the backpack sellers, volunteers who run the local shelter, a fantastic restaurant and a newlywed couple who had just opened a breakfast burrito shop. There was a strange feeling of hospitality and hostility throughout the town. Although we are here on a non-threatening mission of merely documenting what is going on, we are clearly and obviously outsiders. It is going to take some time to build trust. And many people in the town have good reason to be suspicious of nearly everyone. Wherever your sympathies lie, the migrants who attempt illegal entry are breaking U.S. laws. The penalties for being a pollero – a human smuggler – are even higher than those for merely crossing. But the crossing through the desert is extremely treacherous and there is much money to be made in smuggling. There is a sense of desperation surrounding the migrants in Altar. If you are willing to leave your home, your family, your traditions and head north to live in secret scraping together a new life in a foreign country that at least officially doesn’t want you to come, I’d imagine that the reasons have to be pretty compelling. Then you add to that a journey across some of the harshest, hottest and driest deserts – nobody is coming to Altar for a vacation. Surprisingly many were willing to openly share their stories with us anyway. We talked to, mostly, men who shared their hopes and plans. They told us they were caring for sick parents, hoping to their children school money, or looking for just a chance to earn an honest wage. Some of them seemed confused and slightly ashamed that their circumstances had driven them to seek a criminal solution. I got the sense that if there could have found a legal option, they would gladly have taken that option. All of them wanted to tell us that they were not coming to the U.S. to break laws or to hurt anyone, nor were they looking for a hand-out or to take advantage of the U.S. social services. While they are likely other people in town with less wholesome reasons for wanting to cross, every person we met told us that they only wanted work.