Enrique's Journey

The Prologue explains why Nazario wrote the articles that served as the basis for Enrique’s Journey. In 1997, she learned that her housekeeper, Carmen, had four children in Guatemala whom she had not seen in 12 years. Carmen immigrated to the US to find work, leaving her children behind and placing an emotional strain on her family. In 1998, Carmen’s eldest son Minor unexpectedly visited his mother in Los Angeles. Nazario decided to investigate the impact of migration on families after hearing about his dangerous trip north. She outlines recent immigration trends: Approximately 700,000 immigrants enter the US illegally each year, and increasing number of undocumented immigrants are single mothers. What’s more, immigrants are currently demonized by many people in the US.

Determined to humanize these immigrants, Nazario extensively investigates the journey from Central America to the United States, identifying crucial spots on the path, researching the freight trains migrants frequently ride atop, and pinpointing areas where immigrants commonly experience cruelty or kindness. She also interviews children held in detention at US Immigration and Naturalization Service jails and shelters, and determines that completing her investigation will require shadowing one boy’s journey north.

After a colleague with connections to the Mexican government secures her permission to ride on the trains, Nazario finally meets