Panama to the U.S. by land - Two Irish Exploradores Follow the Migrant Trail
As
the US Customs
and Border Patrol boosts it's numbers to almost 10,000 this year and
as almost US$ 6 Billion is to be spent to maintain the 'virtual
fence' over the coming years, massive efforts are being made to
improve border security. With numbers crossing falling, these efforts
seem to be delivering results.
Despite
this, a trickle of undocumented migrants continue to come to the
USA by land from Mexico, Central America and farther afield.
Following their path north along the Pan Americana, I hope to learn
what barriers, borders, checkpoints and inspections they face along
the way and why so many people continue to make the journey, despite
increasing dangers.
Starting
in one month I will travel from the Panama to the US by
land, crossing Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Belize and Mexico. Along the way I will document the
various border processes and inspection points in an effort to learn
the lengths and hardships would-be migrants will go to in their
struggle to reach the United States.
This
journey across 8 countries will be unimaginably easier for two
Irish travelers than for their undocumented compatriots, however
we still hope to learn why
large numbers still risk everything to try start a new life in the
U.S.
First
Stop - Panama City on the 22nd of September. Return then for updates!
Links:
MigrationPolicy
- http://www.migrationpolicy.org/regionalstudygroup/
