The Lost American Dream
Since Trump’s inauguration, the landscape of migration in Latin America has shifted. While migrants continue their arduous journey north, whether Venezuelans fleeing Maduro’s dictatorship, Hondurans escaping powerful gangs, or the millions of families from across the globe attempting to reach the United States for a better life, for many, the “American Dream” is lost.
With the “big, beautiful bill” passed in Congress, the United States is allocating nearly $50 billion to the border wall, with billions more on other migration policies, and the effects have already begun. Edicson Parra, his wife, and four children left Venezuela in hopes of crossing into the US, and are currently in an encampment in Mexico City. Edicson states, “I wanted to go to the United States, but the American dream no longer exists for anyone - It’s a lie. Right now, they're persecuting migrants …They may be good people, they may be bad people, but everyone is paying.” Edicson is currently working on a construction site nearby and earns around 400 MXP per day, equivalent to 20 USD per day for the family.” Edicson, like many families in Mexico, has lost hope to cross into the US while Trump is in office and finds themselves in limbo.
In January last year, the Trump administration terminated the Customs and Border Patrol App (CBP 1), which helped facilitate appointments for migrants seeking asylum at the US border. Now that CBP 1 is no longer available, migrants who were waiting months to receive an appointment have no other means to get to the US. In 2022, as a result of overrun shelters, 6 makeshift migrant camps formed in Mexico City, comprising over 3000 people. However, the city has been dismantling each camp and currently only one remains.
The following images are of the last migrant encampment in Mexico City, where around 300 people live in pallet and plastic shelters along a railroad track in the north of the city. Nearly all the families and residents of the camp overcame incredible circumstances for a chance to reach the US, but now find little hope of crossing the border. Some will wait to see if the border opens, others plan on making the long journey back to their countries, while very few continue to the US, finding any way to keep their “American Dream” alive.
Residents of the migrant camp getting ready for the day in the early morning in Mexico City. This camp is one of six encampments that formed since 2022, where a surge of migration in Mexico and lack of resources led to migrants building their own shelters - mostly from from Venezuela, and Honduras. This camp is the last one remaining with all others recent demolished were around 300 people live, mostly families and nearly all with the intent to reaching the United States, until Trump came to office.
Roselys Martinez Guevara holds her youngest son Samuel, 3 months old, wearing a T-shirt written, “My First 4th of July.” Roselys, her husband Luis, and their four children self-deported from the United States after realizing Trump would be the next president. They left Venezuela after nearly 10 years ago and have been living throughout South America ever since. The family crossed illegally into the US nearly 1 year ago and crossed illegally back to Mexico, waiting to see how to re-enter the country legally.
Ulises Chávez Enomorado salió de Honduras con su esposa y sus cinco hijos después de que una pandilla intentara obligarlo a unirse a ellos, escapando de dos atentados contra su vida. La Ciudad de México ha experimentado lluvias récord este verano, lo que dificulta aún más la vida de los residentes del campamento. Ulises cambia la lona de su refugio para evitar que entre más lluvia en su casa y ahora esta aplicando por asilo para permanecer en México.
The shelters of the encampment are built along a railroad, where a train that hauls trash to a dumpsite passes three times a week.
Jeyeli Pez braids the hair of her daughter, Suse (5 years old), outside their home in the migrant camp alongside the train tracks. Jeyeli, her husband, Elvis and their two children, Suse and Logan (2 years old) left Venezuela 6 years ago to Colombia and recently arrived in Mexico City with hopes of getting to the United States.
A boy poses for a portrait with a toy gun at the Mexico City camp.
Ashely Soto, her sister Andrea and their neighbor Suse (left to right) play in the migrant camp. Daniel Soto, 34 years old, left Venezuela with his wife and 5 children after Daniel participated in protest against the government where paramilitaries came to his home threatening him and his family’s life. In July, the family has been in the encampment for one year. Daniel states, “In fact, if we're given the opportunity to go to the United States before December, we'd probably still consider entering the United States. Now, we don't want to know about the United States anymore because people have lost faith, and instead of improving, things in the US is actually getting worse under Trump.. every day there are more deportations, more human rights violations.”
Matias and Sophia (right) wait inside their home while their father, Ronel Salazar, cuts hair at the migrant camp at night. Ronel, his wife, Genesis, and their two children have been out of Venezuela for seven years and were living in Peru when they decided to cross and make the long journey to the United States. The family was briefly held hostage in Veracruz for a fee required to cross cartel territory. After months of travel, the family has been in the camp since April and plans to apply for asylum in Mexico and stay in Mexico City.
Edicson Parra, his wife Andrea, and their four children share a small room in the encampment that makes their home. The family from Venezuela were living in Colombia and decided to try reaching the US. Ediscon states, “Mexico it is hard to survive, here it is also the same as in Venezuela, more or less the same in a sense because that we are migrants, we do not have rights.” Edicson is currently working on a construction site nearby and earns around 400 MXP per day, equivalent of 20 USD per day for the family, while his wife Andrea take care of the children.
Ronel Salazar and his wife, Genesis, with their two children, Matias and Sophia (left to right), have dinner outside their home in the migrant camp. The Venezuelan family traveled from Peru, crossed the Darien Gap, and made their way up through Central America to reach Mexico City after months. Genesis sells candy on the street with her two children at a nearby traffic light, and Ronal works as a barber, cutting hair for people in the camp and the neighborhood.