In a series of Spanish-language videos, immigrants reveal the atrocities they have suffered while making the journey from Central America to the United States.
The video testimonials are part of a campaign by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to raise awareness among immigrants about the dangers of making the journey north at the hands of coyotes and exposing themselves to assailants along the way.
Today, CPB presented the first video in the series, which features testimonials in Spanish from Central American migrants who voluntarily shared their traumatic experiences.
The first testimony is from a young Central American mother who recounts: "You suffer a lot, you meet people who sometimes want to abuse you. Sometimes you come in trailers without being able to breathe. In the end it didn't go as they said it would."
Here you can see the first testimonial video:
In addition to the testimonials, CBP announced the expansion of Border Security Initiative (BSI) border danger awareness messages to Central American communities in metropolitan areas of California, Texas, Florida, New York and Washington, D.C.
According to statistics, the summer months are the most deadly, due to the high temperatures.
In recent years, more than 6,100 migrants have died from dehydration and hyperthermia, and drowning in canals, ditches and the Rio Grande. Others have fallen victim to criminals and drug traffickers.
BSI emergency medical personnel make use of life-saving technologies to rescue migrants who fall victim to smugglers.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the Border Patrol's Search, Trauma and Rescue Team (BORSTAR) and Air and Marine Operations (AMO), more than 29,000 people have been rescued alive at the Southwest border.