The US border begins in southern Mexico. This is how Central American, Cuban, Haitian and African migrants tell the story of their journey to achieve the American dream. It all starts at the border between Mexico and Guatemala on makeshift rafts launched on the Rio Suchiate before walking for days on end and venturing out on La Bestia, the famous freight train that crosses the country. Avoiding the Mexican migration police, alone or in caravans, despite the long journey and the many dangers, thousands of migrants take this route every day to flee the gangs and violence in their countries. A migration route that changes from day to day, depending on the mood and politics of Donald Trump. The migrants themselves lose their money, their dignity and sometimes even their lives. This long-term story about the Mexican migration route began on the day of the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in 2017 and lasted the four years of his mandate.
Two migrants wake up after their second night aboard La Bestia. It is dangerous and difficult to sleep on La Bestia; some migrants use a rope or a belt to avoid falling down during the night. It is estimated that every year, some 500,000 migrants, the majority of them from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, board the train in an attempt to reach the United States. The train, which carries products and materials, including maize, cement and minerals, regularly comes to a complete stop and is inspected by the Mexican Migration Police (INM). The risks of traveling on this train are high and many passengers become victims of armed robberies or have to have a limb amputated following a fall. Since 9 May 2014, railway operators have banned migrants from traveling on the train. 22/04/2017 San Manuel, Tabasco, Mexico.
Jeoffrey Guillemard
France
Jeoffrey Guillemard was born in 1986 in Nancy, France. Since 2006 he has worked all over the American continent, primarily in Mexico, where he now lives. He started as a self-taught photographer and in 2014 he completed the EMI-CFD photojournalism training in Paris.