Sacrifice and Survival

Josefina was 28, from Irapuato, Guanajuato. She and her husband were headed to Georgia to work in agriculture. They met a group of people from Chiapas that spoke a similar Mayan dialect to her husband and decided to join them for the crossing. One of them said that he knew the way more or less. After four days of walking through the desert, they realized they were lost and needed to do something to get water.

Josefina's husband went out on the road to see if someone would stop and give them water. The rest of the group hid in the bushes. No one would stop for him. Josefina decided that maybe she would have better luck as a woman. A gringa stopped and gave her a cup with some ice in it, but that was all she had. Soon, a police officer stopped. Josefina saw the police officer coming but decided not to run. She knew that if she had run, they would have called the migra and a helicopter. They would probably have caught the rest of her party that was hiding nearby. Josefina knew this and was willing to risk getting sent alone to Mexico, in order to preserve her husband's chances to go to the U.S. and work to support their children.

Josefina pleaded with the female police officer not to call the border patrol. The cop said that she was just going to take her to a clinic. Josefina was given a couple of bottles of water but she only drank a little and left them by the side of the road so that the people in their group could get drink it. What amazing foresight. She kept her mission in mind and never stopped trying to help her group despite the threat of being arrested.

When Josefina was taken to the clinic, she passed out on the floor and no one helped her. Then the border patrol was there to pick her up as soon as she got out. Josefina started crying. "The police are supposed to help you, not lie to you." Although she had not yet talked to her husband she heard that he made it. Josefina was most likely going to try to cross again, but wanted to hear from her husband first. She had no money at all and no ID because her husband was carrying it. She sacrificed her chances at crossing for the good of her group. Josefina is dealing with the consequences of being alone and broke in a strange city. She is at great risk. Her husband can work and support their family but until Josefina comes up with a plan, she alone must deal with the consequences of a failed crossing.