Growing Up On the Migration Route
Growing Up On the Migration Route Upon crossing the border from Guatemala and into Mexico, 19-year-old Claudia Rivera and her family were stopped by a group of unknown men. “They took us when we crossed into Chiapas and took everything we were carrying, except for [a] cell phone,” says Rivera, who is now residing in Casa Monarca, a shelter in Monterrey, Mexico. “Then, they took us to some bushes and made me undress to see if I was hiding any money.” After the men searched Rivera and her mother for hidden items, they allowed the two women to get dressed again. While Rivera is grateful she and her family did not experience significant harm during their journey north, she says she is still deeply troubled by witnessing the women in her family being separated and treated differently than her male relatives. “It was very complicated,” she explains. Rivera left Honduras with her mother and 15-year-old brother in January 2024, aiming to reunite with their two older brothers in the United State…
