Immigration Story

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Recently, I met a family who immigrated to America from Venezuela. They came legally.

Over coffee, they told me their story, which was an extraordinary tale of grit and struggle and ambition and foreboding.

It took them more than a year to get to New York City from their hometown near Caracas.

They traveled by bus and train and on foot across Venezuela and Colombia before reaching the Darien Gap.

The Gap is a roadless mass of thick jungle bordering Panama. It had been considered impassable. It is controlled by men with guns who traffic arms, drugs and immigrants.

It was the worst part of the trip. It took two months. The parents had to carry the two girls - aged five and seven - on their backs as they forded streams. The girls said they saw dead bodies.

Eventually, they reached Mexico City where they had to wait for nine months for the paperwork to apply for asylum. Then they headed north to cross the border.

They walked across the bridge over the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass and showed their documents. They were admitted into the country.

They liked Texas because it was warm and people seemed friendly but they ultimately decided to head further north to New York City.

They arrived late last year. Charities provided them winter clothes and arranged for a place to stay. The girls enrolled in public school.

When we met, their mother told me their story and talked about their efforts to secure permanent status. The girls sat at the table practicing their English while drawing pictures.

The mother understood that the mood in the country toward immigrants had changed dramatically since they started their journey. She was aware it was going to be a tough road.

But they were optimistic. They had come so far and overcome so much and now it seemed within reach. There were just papers to file and meetings to attend.

The girls were happy. They had just seen their first snow. And they enjoyed their classes. They said the best part of the day was school lunch!

They didn't seem aware that Trump had already indicated hostility to the program they were hoping would allow them to remain in the country.

They didn't realize that after all those miles and hazards they would probably be sent back.

And I didn't have the heart to tell them.

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BRIEF OBSERVATIONS

CDMX: I’m back visiting Mexico City and staying in Condesa. The architecture and food and weather are unbeatable. The neighborhood is filled with digital nomads.

GARDEN PARTY: Walking down a street in Mexico City I heard the sound of voices and laughing. Peering into a gated entrance I could see a house party in the courtyard. One of those fantastic moments when you get a glimpse into another world.

DOWNTOWN CDMX: Had coffee at a cafe overlooking the ruins of the Aztec Templo Mayor. It’s extraordinary to realize that on this spot 503 years ago Hernan Cortez and a group of Spaniards defeated the Aztec Empire and changed the course of history.

WITH CHARITY TOWARD ALL: I took this photo in Harlem, NYC and it never ceases to serve as a reminder that we could all be kinder.

ON WRITING: Wisdom from Julian. Writers need to start with something to say before working about how to say it. The later follows the former.