Hidden in the promised land

Read this whole story, it tells about the month long, terrifying trek of this man from his home in Guatemala to Ithaca NY. - - Donna Poisl

Migrant workers in Central New York choose lives of loneliness and fear

By Erin Geismar Editor in Chief

Blood mixes with sand, and with every painful step Román takes, it feels like he might as well be taking one back. Ahead of him there is a line of people. In the cold darkness of the desert at night, a group of 15 trudges on diligently, though a few, Román included, are faltering. His shoes are broken, the sand leaks through, weighing his steps. His toes have been rubbing together for hours, and two toenails dig their way into the flesh of other toes. He’s bleeding, he’s hungry, and he’s tired. The food is gone. The water is gone. He can’t keep walking. He stops and puts his hands to his knees; they’re throbbing now. When he walks he feels bowlegged. He hangs his head low.

“If you keep walking like this we’re never going to get there,” the guide yells back from the front of the line. “If you want to make it to the United States you have to be stronger.”

He would keep saying that again and again.

“Think about how much money you’ve already spent,” he continues. Román thinks about money all the time. About how much he’s spent trying to get to America — so far, he was down almost $1,000. But he thought about how much he hoped to make when he got there.
Be sure to read the rest of this story! This is only a small part of it.