Passing Through

• Photographer
  Griselda San Martin

Seeking relief from the dire political and economic situation of their country, thousands of Haitians left the island in search of a better life in Brazil, a country that has one of the most open borders and that offered them refuge after the 2010 earthquake. Yet, for several months now, for lack of work and opportunity more and more Haitians are starting the journey north, with backpack and knapsacks and children in tow, crossing no less than 10 countries before reaching their desired goal, the United Stated of America. These new migrants are not your typical central American northbound traveler. They carry with them a different culture and have a little bit more funds for the trip which can take between two and three months to complete and quickly becomes a nightmare road for them, where many try to break their spirit and several end up losing their lives. These images were taken July 2016 in Tijuana, Mexico, the final stop on the trip for these migrants. Due to the large number of people that arrived the shelters overflowed with these new migrants and many of them had to sleep on the streets and even on the bridge which is also a pedestrian entry point into the U.S.