A new photo essay from Miriam Jordan and Ilana Panich-Linsman of the New York Times reveals the ongoing humanitarian crisis at our border – a crisis created by the Trump administration, and yet the President refuses to even lift a finger to resolve it.
As a rainstorm wreaked havoc on the immigrants, the photos captured and coinciding reporting remind us of the lives at stake. A short excerpt is included below.
Read the full essay (with photos) online here.
There was a plan by Mexican authorities to open another shelter before the storm. But it didn’t materialize in time.
Migrants helped their neighbors protect tents that were being soaked with rain. Angeli Guadalupe, 11, whose little brother slept inside, shivered as she watched them. But it was no use: Rain water seeped in from above and below.
Limbs and shoes were kept out of tents to avoid bringing mud inside during the downpour. At one tent, an ailing man hung his head outside to vomit.
A group of migrants who found refuge under a large open-sided tent slept close together on the dirt to keep warm. The sound of rain and coughing could be heard everywhere. Mothers picked lice, which have infested the camp, out of their children’s hair.
…Arlen Cruz, 22, cradled her 2-year-old daughter and tried to draw strength from a Bible her husband offered her. But praying did little to slow the rain water, which swept both garbage and treasured belongings down through the camp in rushing currents.
