“It’s like being in jail, because we can’t go anywhere,” said Mari Angeli Useche, 24, who left Venezuela eight months ago, hoping to reach the United States, and now hopes to take a humanitarian flight to Venezuela before giving birth. The birth is scheduled for about three months.
For some, especially those who have been traveling for years, the wait is unbearable.
Keila Mendoza, 34, fled from Venezuela eight years ago, towards Colombia and hoping to finally reach the United States. Along the way, he met his partner and gave birth to his children, who are now 7 and 3 years old.
They arrived in Tapachula six months ago and began their nightmare. A group of criminals kidnapped Mendoza for seven days, he said, demanding rescue and stealing the little money that the family had gathered. Shortly after, his partner abandoned them.
Now, Mendoza does domestic work in a local grocery store, to try to cover food and rent, although there are often not enough for either. “Sometimes I don’t even have to feed my children,” he says.
