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Essay / The Challenges of Immigrants in Enrique's Journey
Every year, hundreds of people from Central America decide to migrate on a dangerous journey through Mexico to the United States. Every migrant who decides to travel to the United States knows that their life is in danger. They make it their journey in hopes of reuniting with their loved ones and starting a better life in the United States. However, there is a high risk of being caught by dozens of police officers at immigration checkpoints while traveling on the rail route. Say no. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay In the book Enrique's Journey, Sonia Nazario goes deeper by explaining the major crisis explored, namely the separation of families by the immigration and the dangerous situations they encounter during their travels. Take the case of Enrique, during his time on the freight trains. It was his 8th attempt to reach El Norte, he decided to board a train in Chiapas, which was not a good idea considering the circumstances and consequences he might face on the way. “In Chiapas, never ride alone. His best chances are at night or in fog, when Enrique can see the immigration officers' flashlights but they can't see him. Storms are the best, even when they bring lightning and he rolls over a tank car full of gasoline; rain keeps immigration officers inside.” This quote from the book helps support the statement I made earlier, as Enrique puts his life in danger knowing how easy it is to get caught by agents. Later, on the same train ride, immigration officers see the migrants and begin chasing them to get them off. This extract from the book explains the conditions these migrants endure just to survive and continue their journey north. “The train is swerving sideways. Enrique jumps from car to car, finally landing on a covered wagon. The train stops, he lies down, face down, arms outstretched, hoping that the migra will not see him, but several agents do. This exception from the book helps support this claim by showing the dangers of being arrested by agents and the possibility of being sent back to Guatemala. This type of situation has happened to many different migrants, as they are chased by officers who have stones and sticks thrown at them. Luckily, Enrique ran through the bushes and escaped, but most of the time people don't manage to get through. Crossing the border is one of the most difficult stages due to numerous border patrols and the need to cross huge rivers to reach US territory. Many families attempt to cross but end up getting stuck in the currents and having to be evacuated by officers. “Migrants have been crossing the Rio Grande on makeshift rafts for years to enter the United States illegally. But faced with an influx of Central American families, Border Patrol agents are pulling dozens of migrants, including young children, from the river's violent current almost every day” (Migrants Risk All on Deadly Rio Grande). Another major problem when crossing the border is the high number of cases of deaths due to dehydration and starvation, which are increasing rapidly. These migrants walk miles and miles under the scorching sun with little food and water, which they carry, hoping that it will be enough for them to cross the desert...