Ada Trillo – Migrant Caravan 2020

Ada Trillo – Migrant Caravan 2020

In January of 2020, fleeing violence and poor economic conditions, Hondurans organized a massive migrant caravan that traveled through Guatemala into Mexico. After traveling for eight days, the caravan crossed the Suchiate River into Mexico and met by the recently established Guardia Nacional comprised of former Federal, Military, and Naval Police.

Mexican President, Andrés Manual López Obrador has historically called for safe passage for migrants. Still, when US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs, Mexico reversed its policy and deployed soldiers to keep Central American migrants from entering Mexico.

Migrants attempting to enter Mexico split into two major groups.
The largest group crossed the Suchiate River and were tear-gassed by the Guardia Nacional.
Forced to retreat, they waited by the river’s edge for two days. Their second attempt across the river (at four in the morning) was a success, but it was only hours later that the Guardia Nacional surrounded them, put them on busses and sent them back to Honduras.
The smaller group amassed in the border town of El Ceibo in Guatemala and were met by Julio Cesar Sanchez Amaya, the head of foreign relations in Mexico. He welcomed migrants in groups of 10 to enter Mexico and seek asylum. Migrants were briefly kept in detention centers, and against Julio’s word, they were deported back to Honduras without given the opportunity to seek shelter.
Trump has effectively barred asylum seekers from entering the US by threatening to impose tariffs and cut foreign aid to Central American countries. The human cost of Trump’s political agenda denies people their fundamental human rights. For many asylum seekers, deportation will result in living a life of extortion, impoverishment and even death. The full effect of Trump’s xenophobic policies toward immigrants and asylum seekers will no doubt be felt for generations to come.

Ada Trillo

I was born in El Paso, Texas, but I was raised in Juarez, Mexico.
As a teenager, I traveled back and forth between the two cities so I could attend school in the states.
Witnessing life on the border as a young adult influenced my approach to art forever.

After years of working as a painter, I picked up a camera and started taking pictures. I quickly realized this was the medium I needed to tell these people’s stories.

For the past four years, I’ve been documenting the journey migrants take to reach the USMexico border. The trials, struggles, and humanity of these people are often lost in the blur of the media. For me, it’s critical to unveil their journey and what led them here in the first place.
To do this, I journey with them. I use a 35mm fixed lens on a Leica to do the act of photographing a much more intimate one. I don’t just snap pictures to tell the story.
I ask migrants where they come from, what they do for a living, and what their goals are. Instead of shooting from afar, I engage with migrants to better understand their lives. That way, I can share their stories with the world through photographs and their own words.

Read the full article on Lens Magazine Issue #66