AT CALIFORNIA SAFE HOUSE
Upon landing in California, Alicia silently followed the departing airplane passengers while avoiding direct eye contact with the Coyote, who had separated the group in separate couples. Her stomach was upset with intense butterflies, her head was about to explode, she was sweating gallons, but she tried to act natural… she had gone thru so much in the last month and was not about to blow it now. She joined her group picking up the luggage, and could not believe it as she exited the airport into an awaiting car. As instructed, she got into her assigned car with her assigned partner. Next stop was a Coyote safe house.
I can only imagine everyone’s relief at having reached this
safe house, but the journey was not over and the joy was short-lived. This stop
was meant to be the final smuggling stop, where the arrivals arranged for
payment of their balance through money orders or express mail. Once received and you were clear to go, the coyote
gang would deliver you wherever you arranged to be picked up. This gang did not
intend for you to stay too long for sure, and it was clear you better
hurry and leave. The large house was split into
small rooms for the smuggled group and other rooms that were apparently rented
to locals, who seemed to conduct a normal life working in hotels, in restaurants, cleaning houses, in landscaping, whatever. This other crowd was integrated into US, and ate fast food, they followed local TV, they watched rented movies. They generally did not mingle much with the guests in transit.
Alicia telephoned and reached Tati, her old friend from back home, who promised to raise the monies. Secretly, Alicia was in doubt whether the friend could deliver. Why would her old friend do so, it was a fairly large amount after all! Tati had no obligation to deliver; she was only an old friend! As the days and weeks passed and the arrivals thinned out, Alicia felt the pressure increase. Her friend left one by one, there was no one to look out for her anymore. She did not want to leave her room anymore, and could hardly eat.
Alicia telephoned and reached Tati, her old friend from back home, who promised to raise the monies. Secretly, Alicia was in doubt whether the friend could deliver. Why would her old friend do so, it was a fairly large amount after all! Tati had no obligation to deliver; she was only an old friend! As the days and weeks passed and the arrivals thinned out, Alicia felt the pressure increase. Her friend left one by one, there was no one to look out for her anymore. She did not want to leave her room anymore, and could hardly eat.
The local gang leader’s wife would bring small meals and
talk to Alicia, advising her not to get close to any of the guys in her gang.
She warned, guys want to seduce the women in transit - scared, vulnerable, bored - but these
guys were gang members, not nice at all. These guys would befriend you to rape
you, she heard repeatedly. One morning, she told her Alicia that her time was
running out, but she had convinced her husband, Mr. Local Gang Head, to allow
Alicia to work for the couple babysitting their kids in exchange for room and
board. This would buy her some extra time, and hopefully the balance owed the
gang would arrive. Alicia was allowed to continue making calls to raise the
money, with plenty of promises and little hope.
With her change in status, Alicia was now under the
protection and good will of Ms Gang Head. That meant she could walk the large
house, play with the children in the patio, and even exit the house and walk around down the
street. One day, walking the baby in a stroller, she continued going and going,
not aware of how she was challenging the invisible boundaries that circled the
house. Suddenly, a large car with tinted windows intercepted her and some armed guys aggressively shoved her and the
stroller into the car, quietly and quickly. There was no explanation, just instructions to remain
quiet. It turned out that these were local gang: Alicia had gone too far away from the house, and for
a few minutes Ms Gang Head feared the worst. The unsmiling armed guys backed down under orders of Ms Gang Head, they would have just as easily finished Alicia if ordered. Seems like while Alicia walked the baby she had
received the long-awaited call from her benefactor Tati, to advise she had the
balance owed. When the guys brought her back, Ms Gang Head explained what happened, adding in a matter of fact tone, that if her husband had been home, Alicia would have paid for this little mistake with her life. After a big scare, the big relief.
Now it was a matter of waiting for the monies via express mail, and a plane
ticket, to arrive.
( to be continued )
RELATED VIDEO
Smuggling operations leave casualties all along its paths, as migrants encounter thieves, gangs, cartels and law enforcement agents...
from FINDING A FLOATER - National Geographic
http://www.youtube.com/user/NationalGeographicTV?feature=watch
from EXTENDED INTERVIEW: A HUMAN SMUGGLER - PBS Frontline
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/mexico704/interview/smuggler.htm
RELATED READING
People enter the smuggling business for many reasons, there is plenty of money to be made, and a never ending clientele. It is nor surprising that sometimes Coyotes are held in high esteem, and may think of themselves as guardians of the migrants.
BORDER WARS: DEATH ON THE RIO GRANDE
COYOTAJE
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