In Reynosa, in interviewing and speaking to various Haitian migrants the stories that were repeatedly told and stood out to us was that of their journey across 12 countries to reach the U.S.-México border. Due to visa restrictions, Haitian migrants can only travel to Chile and Brazil, from there they catch buses through Bolivia, Perú, Ecuador, and Colombia. If they are low on funds, they walk
In Colombia, Haitian migrants make their way to Necoclí Colombia, where they board wooden boats headed towards Acandí Colombia. In Acandí they start their journey through the Darién Gap into Panamá. In the Darién Gap, many have died. One migrant interviewed revealed the inability to help a friend finish the trek through the Gap, forcing them to leave him behind.
Some of the stories migrants told us are of a group of men raping a woman in front of the group and her husband. Other stories were of being robbed at gunpoint and walking across deceased bodies along the way.
Once in Panamá, most get on buses to ride to México through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala. In México – after they have been through South and Central America – they begin their journey to the U.S.-México border. When speaking to Thelma García, an immigration attorney in Harlingen, TX, she mentioned that one can’t just go to the U.S. consulate and ask for asylum per se because it is another lengthy process.
Thus, people are forced to cross the U.S.-México border.
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