The Other Side

the California-Tijuana border                                                                     KW

These days, when we hear the word "migrant," our focus tends to swivel east, to Africa and the Middle East. Sometimes, we remember our own neighbors to the south in Central America, many of whom continue to make the dangerous journey north to, they hope, the United States. We have heard their stories of determination, hardship, and ultimate success or defeat. But what of the so-called polleros (literally, "chicken herders"), the people who are paid to smuggle many of those refugees? No matter what one may think of them, they, too, have a story. "I went as a migrant like any other youngster with the American dream, and it turned into a nightmare," explains one who works out of Honduras. "I was kidnapped, tortured, I saw them kill my cousin and 14 people more. It was lose my life or work with the cartel" (story, slideshow, videos): http://interactive.aljazeera.com/aje/2016/people-smugglers-cartel-south-america/index.html
   "Smuggling will never stop unless you can stop poverty or hunger. It will never stop because people will always want to help their families." An interview with a Mexican pollero: http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/mexico704/interview/smuggler.html