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© James Whitlow Delano
Hundreds of crosses, each bearing the name of a Mexican or Central American who died trying to cross this border into the United States, have been mounted on the Tijuana, Mexico, side of the border fence referred to, south of the border, as the "Wall of Shame".
© James Whitlow Delano
Central American migrants warm themselves beside a fire of scrap wood and trash in the pre-dawn in the 2,200 m (6,000 ft.) high Valley of Mexico before hopping a train further north. The "Train of Death" safely behind them, migrants will take a train further north and then scatter to the winds, hopping trucks before converging again at the U.S. border. Lecheria train depot, Mexico City, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Janeth Aminta Munoz of Honduras was robbed and beaten when she reached into her bag at a market between the southern border city of Tapachula, Chiapas, and the border by several men who nearly killed her. She was taken in by the Shelter of Jesus the Good Shepherd, which nurtures migrants injured on the journey north through Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Guatemalan man sits on the curb of a busy Guatemala City street sniffing glue or solvent. Inhaling solvents has become a chronic problem in poverty-stricken Central America. Many young migrants head north to the United States in an attempt to rid themselves of the habit and get off the streets.
© James Whitlow Delano
A cluster of migrants from Central America mill around in the pre-dawn chill of the 2,200 m (6,000 ft.) high Valley of Mexico waiting for the freight train north to depart. Lecheria, Mexico City, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Guatemalan man who lost his legs falling from the "Train of Death" remains at the Shelter of Jesus the Good Shepherd in the southern border city of Tapachula where he now works and helps other migrants recover psychologically and physically from their wounds, Chiapas, Mexico. He wished not to be identified.
© James Whitlow Delano
"Freddy" from El Salvador lost his arm last year when he fell from the "Train of Death" in northern Chiapas State, Mexico. He has lived since that time at Albergue Belen, a shelter for migrants run by an Italian priest, Padre Rigoni, in the southern border city of Tapachula, until he can obtain proper documentation to live and work legally in Mexico. Freddy says there are times when he can still feel his missing arm, though most of the pain has passed.
© James Whitlow Delano
There is a heavy Mexican military presence in the southern border city of Tapachula, which has a regular flow of undocumented migrants and drug trafficking from Guatemala and further south, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
A Honduran migrant man smokes a fat joint (marijuana cigarette) after missing the freight train further north from Lecheria, Mexico City, Mexico. Many of the young migrants try to escape gang culture or drug abuse in their country, with varying degrees of success.
© James Whitlow Delano
With no border fence, the Rio Suchiate marks the porous border between Mexico from Guatemala (across the river), near Talisman, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
On Mexico's northern border, a new U.S. fence creates a barrier extending way out into the Sonora Desert, east of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico. The U.S. border fence is known as the "Wall of Shame" (El Muro de Verguenza) south of the border.
© James Whitlow Delano
Migrant man from Honduras shows off his national currency as he waits for a freight train to hop further north toward the U.S. border. Lecheria train depot, Mexico City, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Young Central American migrant men climb up in the pre-dawn chill onto a northbound freight train which will carry them closer to the U.S. border. Lecheria train depot, Mexico City, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Two fences separate Tijuana's Colonia Libertad from the United States. South of the border, the U.S. border fences are known as the "Wall of Shame" (El Muro de Verguenza).
© James Whitlow Delano
Guatemalan porters smuggle goods across the Rio Suchiate which forms the porous border between Guatemala and Mexico. Talisman, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Homeless couple drinks liquor and sniffs solvent on a Guatemala City street corner. Drug abuse and alcoholism are chronic problems in poverty-stricken Central America.
© James Whitlow Delano
Young women who sniff glues and solvents sleep roughly on the street in Guatemala City where inhaling solvents has become a chronic problem. Compounding the problem, hundreds of women are raped, mutilated and murdered every year in Guatemala. Many missing women are never found.
© James Whitlow Delano
Rene, 26 years old, from El Salvador, who is traveling to the United States with his son, Jefferson, and his daughter, Brendaly, eats breakfast with other migrants from throughout Central America at Albergue Belen, a shelter for migrants run by an Italian priest, Padre Rigoni, in the southern border city of Tapachula, Mexico. They still have the challenge of riding the "Train of Death" ahead of them.
© James Whitlow Delano
Women from Honduras mill nervously around the "Train of Death" where later they may fall prey to "maras" criminal gang members, waiting in the jungle to climb up upon this slow-moving freight train, and who have been known to rape, rob, beat and murder Central American women riding this train. The photographer was accosted by a ferrocaril (railway) employee who would later inquire to her male travel companions how much he could pay them to have sex with the fair-haired woman in the center of the frame.
© James Whitlow Delano
Central American migrant man in Lecheria train depot, Mexico City, sleeps in a fetal position to stave off the chill in the 2,200 m (6,000 ft.) high Valley of Mexico. In a few hours, he will join his companions on a northbound freight train bringing him closer to his destination, the U.S. border.
© James Whitlow Delano
Spartan, though relatively clean accommodations for migrants at Hogar de la Misericordia as they prepare to hop the freight train known as the "Train of Death" in Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico. The train used to commence 270 km (180 miles) further south in Tapachula but a massive hurricane in October 2006 washed out railway bridges along the south of Arriaga. Now migrants must walk or ride group vans called "combis" and walk around three immigration checkpoints through the forest where "maras' criminal gangs recently murdered and decapitated an unfortunate migrant from Guatemala. Those lacking money must walk the whole way.
© James Whitlow Delano
Scores of vultures fill a cemetery from which they strike out into a massive city dump to scavenge for food, Guatemala City, Guatemala.
© James Whitlow Delano
North of the last freight train, migrants will have to survive by their wits hitching rides on trucks plying the back roads of rural Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Guatemala City slum from which so many of the migrants come, trying to earn enough money to escape the gangs, drugs and poverty. Guatemala.
© James Whitlow Delano
Migrants from Central America wait in the pre-dawn chill of the 2,200 m (6,000 ft.) high Valley of Mexico waiting for the freight train north to depart, Lecheria, Mexico City, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Handicapped man begs for change on the mean streets of Guatemala City, Guatemala.
© James Whitlow Delano
Migrant men chase down a freight train in the pre-dawn chill of the 2,200 m (6,000 ft). high Valley of Mexico, Lecheria train depot, Mexico City, Mexico. The train will carry them closer to the U.S. border, their destination.
© James Whitlow Delano
A common sight: A hired guard brandishes a sawed-off shotgun to protect a store in central Guatemala City from robbery.
© James Whitlow Delano
Shoes of migrant travelers from Central America staving off the chill of the 2,200 m (6,000 ft.) high Valley of Mexico in Lecheria train depot, Mexico City, Mexico. In a few hours, they will join companions on a northbound freight train bringing them closer to their destination, the U.S. border.
© James Whitlow Delano
"Basureros", men who pick through the garbage dump for materials that they can sell, rest outside the gates of the city dump, Guatemala City, Guatemala. According to the World Bank (2007), the average Guatemalan earns U.S.$2,400 per year, a figure probably unattainable selling goods recycled from rubbish. So, far better wages are possible for those who can cross into the United States.
© James Whitlow Delano
Migrant men from Honduras enter the forest and begin the 270 km (180 mile) journey from Tapachula to Arriaga where they hope to hop aboard the freight train called the "Train of Death". First they will have to get safely past three immigration checkpoints, Federal Police, local police and criminal gangs. Chiapas, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Migrants from Central America nervously mill around the "Train of Death' waiting for it to depart, jockeying for the choicest spots on the carriages, Arriaga, Mexico. "Maras" criminal gang members may be waiting in the jungle up the rails to climb aboard this slow-moving freight train to rob, beat and even murder Central American migrants riding this train.
© James Whitlow Delano
Migrant men from Central America have just hopped out of a public group "combi" van to run around the first of three Mexican immigration checkpoints between Tapachula and Arriaga. Since a massive typhoon washed out rail bridges between the two cities, it has been necessary to undertake the 270 km (180 mile) journey to reach the train. "Maras" criminal gang members may be waiting in the jungle behind the immigration checkpoints, ready to rob, beat and even murder Central American migrants. Chiapas, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Closer to the coast, the Rio Suchiate which marks the porous Mexican-Guatemalan border widens and slows, allowing smuggling and river crossing from Guatemala (on the far bank) to Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, on makeshift rafts.
© James Whitlow Delano
Closing a gap: American workers erect a border fence to further separate Mexicali, Mexico, from Calexico on the U.S. side, Baja California, Mexico. The U.S. border fence is known as the "Wall of Shame" (El Muro de Verguenza) south of the border.
© James Whitlow Delano
On Mexico's northern border, a new U.S. border fence creates a barrier extending way out into the Sonora Desert, east of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico. The U.S. fence is known as the "Wall of Shame" (El Muro de Verguenza) south of the border.
© James Whitlow Delano
Traditional fisherman sets nets in pastoral harmony beneath two of the three volcanoes which tower above Lago Atitlan in the Guatemalan Highlands. Despite the sublime setting, far better wages are possible for those who can cross into the United States. According to the World Bank (2007), the average Guatemalan earns U.S.$2,400 per year, a figure probably unattainable from fishing in the lake.
© James Whitlow Delano
Migrant men climbing up a northbound freight train in the pre-dawn chill of the 2,200 m (6,000 ft.) high Valley of Mexico, Lecheria train depot, Mexico City. The train will carry them closer to the U.S. border, their destination.
© James Whitlow Delano
Spartan, though relatively clean accommodations for migrants at Hogar de la Misericordia as they prepare to hop the freight train known as the "Train of Death" in Arriaga, Chiapas, Mexico. The train used to commence 270 km (180 miles) further south in Tapachula but a massive hurricane in October 2006 washed out railway bridges along the south of Arriaga. Now migrants must walk or ride group vans called "combis" and walk around three immigration checkpoints through the forest where "maras' criminal gangs recently murdered and decapitated an unfortunate migrant from Guatemala. Those lacking money must walk the whole way.
© James Whitlow Delano
Sex workers look out from a brothel, looking for lunchtime customers along the main highway, Guatemala Highlands. According to the World Bank (2007), the average Guatemalan earns U.S.$2,400 per year, which forces many young women into prostitution to feed their families.
© James Whitlow Delano
Mother breast-feeds child while tending her sidewalk stall in Guatemala City. According to the World Bank (2007), the average Guatemalan earns U.S.$2,400 per year, which puts pressure on parents to feed and care for their children.
© James Whitlow Delano
Indigenous people in traditional garb at a weekly market in the highland village of Solala, Guatemala. According to the World Bank (2007), the average Guatemalan earns U.S.$2,400 per year, which puts pressure on families to buy staple foods. The lure of far higher wages which are possible for those who can cross into the United States is quite strong.
© James Whitlow Delano
A Sudanese man (L) and a Sierra Leonian man (R) have found their way from Africa to the Albergue Belen house for migrants in the southern border city of Tapachula, Mexico, where they wait for their Mexican visa applications to be processed so that they can continue their long journey to attempt to cross into the United States.
© James Whitlow Delano
Indigenous women from the Guatemalan Highlands clean onions for sale in a market, San Jose Chacaya, Guatemala. According to the World Bank (2007), the average Guatemalan earns U.S.$2,400 per year, which puts pressure on families to buy staple foods. The lure of far higher wages which are possible for those who can cross into the United States is quite strong.
© James Whitlow Delano
Central American migrant man suspends himself between cars on a northbound freight train in the pre-dawn chill of the 2,200 m (6,000 ft.) high Valley of Mexico, Lecheria train depot, Mexico City, Mexico. The train will carry him closer to the U.S. border, his destination.
© James Whitlow Delano
The photographs of missing women are posted on walls throughout Guatemala City. Hundreds of women are raped, mutilated and murdered every year in Guatemala. Many missing women are never found.
© James Whitlow Delano
Indigenous men tend to onion bulbs in terraced fields in the Guatemalan Highlands. According to the World Bank (2007), the average Guatemalan earns U.S.$2,400 per year, which puts pressure on families to buy staple foods. The lure of far higher wages which are possible for those who can cross into the United States is quite strong.
© James Whitlow Delano
Central American men shelter from rain inside a box car on the "Train of Death" not realizing that they will soon be driven out or locked inside by rail workers, Arriaga, Mexico. "Maras" criminal gang members may be waiting in the jungle up the rails to climb onto this slow-moving freight train to rob, beat and even murder Central American migrants riding the train.
© James Whitlow Delano
The dense jungles and torrential rivers encountered by migrants along the southern border of Mexico in Chiapas state. For those Central American migrants who cannot afford to take public group "combi" vans, they must walk the entire 270 km (180 miles), often through the forests of Chiapas to reach the "Train of Death", Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
On Mexico's northern border with California and Arizona, where there is no wall, the environment is exceedingly hostile, as seen here in the Algodones Sand Dunes (called the Imperial Sand Dunes north of the border in California), Baja California, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Young Central American migrant men have found a spot on top of the "Train of Death" for the 2 1/2-day trip, exposed to rain, sun and surprisingly cold temperatures when the train climbs up to the 2,200 m high (6,000 ft.) Valley of Mexico, Arriaga, Mexico. "Maras" criminal gang members may be waiting in the jungle up the rails to climb onto this slow-moving freight train to rob, beat and even murder Central American migrants riding this train.
© James Whitlow Delano
Hondurans Ellison (L), 16 years old, and 18-year-old John Beri walk in the back country to avoid the first of three immigration checkpoints between Tapachula and Arriaga. Since a massive hurricane washed out rail bridges between the two cities, it has been necessary to undertake the 270 km (180 mile) journey to reach the train. "Maras" criminal gang members may be waiting in the jungle behind the immigration checkpoints, ready to rob, beat and even murder Central American migrants. Chiapas, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Guatemalan porter carries smuggled goods up from the Rio Suchiate which forms the porous border between Guatemala and Mexico, Talisman, Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Young Guatemalan boy earns a meager living shoveling gravel and stone obtained by hard labor from this highland riverbed for construction sites, Lago Atitlan, Guatemala. According to the World Bank (2007), the average Guatemalan earns U.S.$2,400 per year, a figure probably unattainable selling gravel for building construction. So, children are often put to work to help families get by.
© James Whitlow Delano
Indigenous Guatemalan man, who spoke a Mayan language and not Spanish to his companions, protects himself from a continuous rain which marked the beginning of the journey on the "Train of Death", Arriaga, Mexico. A slippery train is a dangerous train as it increases the chances of someone falling off and possibly under the wheels, severing limbs or worse.
© James Whitlow Delano
Popocatepetl, an active volcano and Mexico's second-highest peak at 17,802 feet, sends up a plume of smoke above the Valley of Mexico.
© James Whitlow Delano
Rails extend north from Arriaga along the route of the "Train of Death" while the jungle closes in on its sides, possibly concealing "maras" criminal gangs waiting to climb up upon the slow-moving freight train to rob, beat and even murder Central American migrants riding the train.
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