Coyote

You've decided to pay a coyote. He demands every cent that you have in exchange for taking you to the U.S. He's also demanded all of your husband's earnings from his first year of work in the United States. If he fails to provide it to him, then he says he will find you and kill you.

You ride in a car with him for days, your children get antsy. Days turn to weeks. You hold your breath each time you pass a border check-point, but your coyote has connections with the agents at each border. They must get a cut of the pay.

As you cross into Mexico, though, the people manning the border checkpoint keep staring at your husband through the window. They seem to recognize him. One of the agents opens the car door and points a gun to your husband's head. He threatens to kill all of you, but your husband begs for mercy, saying that he will come with them if they let you go.

You scream and cry, but it's no use. Before you know it, he is dragged out of the car, and the coyote is driving away. Just like that, he's gone.

Finally, you make it to Juarez, Mexico, just outside of the US border. Your coyote drops you off at the bridge leading to the U.S., and says that he cannot take you any further. There are new regulations, he says. You'll have to do the rest on your own.