Mexique, le périple d'une nouvelle vie

7am, on the river bank of the Chateau River, separating Guatemala and Mexico. It is on this part of the river that the incessant wailing of the candidates for exile begins. They flee the misery of Central America to join the United States. More than a million people, from El Salvador, Honduras or Nicaragua, try every year this road of the impossible, towards the American dream. As soon as they arrive at the Mexican side, they have to beseech the authorities to close their eyes. Money is the only passport of the clandestines. To reach the border with Texas, they have to cross all of Mexico, more than 4,000 km separated by the two borders. For the most part, the journey begins at the Aliaga railway station. The only way to make the trip is to borrow the freight trains. Every day, there are thousands to take the convoys on foot. In spite of the danger, everyone tries to find a small place. On the roofs, between the wagons, on the sidewalks. There can be up to 1,000 clandestines per train. Very often, the journey turns into a trap. To catch as many clandestines as possible, the police stop the train in the middle of the countryside, where there is nowhere to go or hide. Come on! That day, it's a big police operation. 300 people will be arrested. Each year, only 40% of the exiled candidates reach the border of the United States. However, for that, the journey is over. The Mexican authorities will take them back to the border of Guatemala. These four young people come from El Salvador. Raime, Lupita and their two friends have already walked along the rails for two days to Ariaga. They allowed us to film their clandestine journey through Mexico to the American border. Raime convinced Lupita, only 19 years old, to travel with him to know the American dream. More than 3,200 kilometers separate them from their destination. The first thing to do is to choose the right train. Before getting on, you have to be sure that the train is going north. I've seen a lot of accidents. People fall off the train and die by falling under it. Some also had their legs cut off. In March, a train derailed. Fifteen people died. When clandestines try to board a train, they take a huge risk. At the city's dispensary, many injured people are treated after serious accidents. This is the case of Rosana, Salvadorian, who has been in a convalescence for a month after having been amputated both legs. I fell off the train. I was sitting on the roof. I fell trying to get down before a migrant control. As I was going down, I slipped. The small group travels only at night. While waiting for the twilight, they stay at the hotel. At night, like ghosts protected by the dark, clandestines invade the roads. They have been joined by a group of Salvadorians from the neighboring room. Travelling together seems to be the right idea to face the dangers of the journey. There is no more room here. The train is under attack. Finding a place before it starts is a nightmare. Luckily, at the end of the train, the door of a wagon remained open. You keep the door so that no one else goes up. Now that they are on board, Raimé must protect their space. He has a machete to defend himself because many bandits attack migrants. He attacks them and even rapes women. Finally, the beast, as migrants call it, sets off. The group has walked hundreds of kilometers to take this train, but this is only the beginning. They still have 3,300 kilometers to travel to cross the American border. And a lot of danger to overcome before they get there. They will have to change trains, feed themselves, find places to rest, and most importantly, avoid being arrested. Each time, Raimé and his group will have to board at night. To get closer and closer to the border of the United States. When he was a child, Raimé had already crossed the American border, clandestinely with his parents. They settled in Los Angeles, where they lived for 15 years. He was even regular and had a stay card, but things went wrong. He joined a gang and ended up in crime. He was thrown into prison before being expelled to El Salvador, where he met Lupita. His new attempt to cross the American border is a way to redeem himself. He takes her to Texas to offer her a better life. I don't want to disappoint her. I will do everything I can to succeed in going to the United States. We will also try to help her family. We will get there. Okay, my love? You must not be afraid. I will always be there. The train approaches and the migrants raise their sleeves. They will try, at the last minute, to get water for the rest of their journey. Boarding these trains is already difficult under the sun. But when the weather gets bad, it's even harder to continue. The clandestines always have time to think about what they risk. Their nerves are put to the test, especially when they imagine the crucial moment where they will all illegally cross the border. As they reach Cordoba, the train stops because of a mechanical breakdown. They have to get off. The group is exhausted, but no question of venturing into the city. They could easily get stopped. So they stay near the tracks. I'm going to look for a shelter to sleep for a while, see if someone can welcome us. It's getting late and night is falling. Tomorrow morning we'll see if we can take the train again. We'll see what to do. Because of this unexpected stop, they have to find a place to stay, not far from the tracks. Excuse me for disturbing you. I'm here with five friends. Can you let us spend the night in your garden? We just got off the train. We're not from here. I promise you, you won't have any problems with us. The problem is that it's illegal, you see. I don't want any problems. Do you understand? In the neighborhood, no one wants to welcome them. In Mexico, the law is hard on those who help the clandestines. They risk up to six years in prison. Eight o'clock in the morning, Orizaba train station. Raime is isolated, hidden under a wagon, away from the other migrants. This morning, morale is not good. It's very difficult to make this trip without the support of the family. Wherever we go, no one ever waits for us. How do you feel? I'm very anxious and it's cold. And it's going to get colder and colder along the way. We're about halfway now. We're going to win the state of Tlaxcalapisaco soon. From there we will continue by bus, no more train. We can't continue by train. The risk has become too great to be stopped. The station seems peaceful. But what Raime doesn't know is that a large number of police officers patrol the surroundings. To continue their journey, there is only one option. Subdue the police. It will cost $15 for the whole bunch. I was able to solve the problem by giving them money so that they let us continue. Now they're going to spend it in bars. I don't like giving wine pots. I know it's not good, but it's the only way to continue. They are now about 2,000 kilometers from the United States. Raime will find a Mexican friend along the way. You won't see his face because the man doesn't want to be recognized. Thank you very much, Mario. I don't know how to thank you. Is everyone here? To avoid attracting the attention of the police, each of them will join the city alone. One of their friends, Thelma, met on the road and is exhausted. She gave up and went back home. This obviously affects the morale of the group. To make matters worse, Raime has bad news. His group will have to separate since it has become impossible to travel so many. This could attract the attention of the police. The rest of the journey will be by bus. Very moved, Raime gives some last advice to his friends. It's very sad, I know. I don't like this separation because we have all become friends. I only know what we have gone through on this journey. From the border of Guatemala to Mexico. I know how we crossed this river, how people treated us and all the suffering we have endured. There is one last advice I can give you. Be as clean as possible. Put on perfume and put on your cleanest clothes. I know you will get there. I trust you, all of you. You will get there. This is their last meal together in Mexico. In fact, a foretaste of America. Pizza! I can't continue. I can barely keep my eyes open. I am exhausted. I must not fall asleep on the road. You see, there can be a check at any time. There are about three hours left by bus. But the best thing to do is to stay here tonight. If I make the smallest mistake now, it can be fatal. They will send us back to El Salvador. The next day, Raime makes his first mistake since he left El Salvador. He gets off the bus at the wrong stop. He doesn't know that the border is still 160 km away. They are lost and very vulnerable. I feel stupid, but we will get there. It is our destiny, just like this journey. It is late at night. After walking 100 km, they finally reach a bus stop. If no bus passes, the only possibility is to stay in this village and see if someone can welcome us. It is really cold. We are frozen. An hour later, a bus finally arrives. It will take them to Matamoros, a small border town. They finally arrived. They left El Salvador 24 days ago, after having traveled almost 3,800 km. I am happy that we are still alive. We are here after a really painful and stressful journey. Raime decided not to cross the river that forms a natural border with the United States at night in Rio Grande. They are too tired. Tomorrow will be their big day. He says there is no danger anymore, but I think the opposite. I am afraid to cross the river. Why are you afraid? I am afraid of drowning or that they catch us as soon as we arrive on the other side. We love each other very much. We will be very happy together. I will have all the time for his family to accept me. It is in the middle of the night that they progress on the banks of the Rio Grande. They can already see the lights of Brownsville, Texas, on the other side. Everything seems quiet on the other side. America is close, but they still have a dangerous crossing to accomplish. They are petrified. By security, Raime carries with him this inflatable crocodile. What are you doing? I came and hid it this afternoon. It will allow us to float to the other shore. This will help us float. But what is it? Let's call it a crocodile. We just saw one in the water. It seems quiet. It doesn't look like there are patrols on the other side. It's okay, everything will be fine. We are not going to cross there, are we? Galeant, Raime is his little friend on the crocodile. She makes him go first. I'm very happy. I'm going to cross too. Everything seems to be going well. Thank God. This way. I'm here. It's not easy. I have to go. See you later.