Gabriela Hernandez and her two boys joined the âmigrant caravanâ of travelers across Mexico toward the United States, some hoping to cross the border. This is her story of the journey, compiled from multiple visits and interviews.
She is late.
Gabriela Hernandez has missed the caravan marching north.
As she realizes her mistake, she also knows she canât let it go.
She scrounges up enough coins to pay for a taxi. Not knowing exactly where the group is, they simply head north, asking along the way in the hope they will catch up with the group.
The pregnant mother of two has never before left Honduras. Now, she has fled her country, crossed Guatemala and found herself in the southern Mexican border city of Tapachula.
âI was very scared. I didnât even have a dollar for a hotel,â she says later.
When she arrived with her two little boys, she didnât know whom to trust.
And in the back of her mind, she is also thinking about the talk among the migrants. She has heard about âla hieleras,â the coolers, the migrantsâ nickname for cold ICE detention facilities.
She has heard she could be held for months. But, itâs the talk of family separation that worries her most right now.
Immigration authorities say they do not normally split mothers from their children, but that does not stop the fear.
âOmar already tells me, âI donât want to be far away from you. I will cry.ââ
