Armando, El Salvador. His destination was the United States, but he was deported in Baja California while riding in the cargo train crossing Mexico. He wanted to retry the trip as undocumented via Tenosique, Tabasco. This time, while trying to get on the train, he fell and the very train amputated his arm. He awaits the document certifying him as a refugee. — Tapachula, Chiapas, 2014.
Mexico City-based photographer Nicola “Ókin” Frioli’s series ‘Al Otro Lado del Sueño / The Other Side of the American Dream’ is a collection of powerful portraits that highlights the suffering borne by Central American migrants entering the US.
Every year, waves of migrant families and individuals flee their gang violence-torn homes in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala or Nicaragua in hopes of a better life and future in America.
The majority of them pass through Mexico, where they are at the mercy of brutal beatings, sexual abuse, kidnappings and murder by gangs and corrupt officials.
Frioli started his project in 2008 when he visited the Shelter Jesus Buen Pastor in Tapachula, Chiapas, a Catholic shelter in Mexico that provides medical aid to injured migrants.
He later moved to the Shelter of the Padre Solalinde, a shelter in Oaxaca that offers short-term care for migrants, and the portraits shown here are of its inhabitants.
The striking photographs document the physical abuse they endured, from stitched up wounds to lost limbs, to poignant messages and haunting images of possessions of those who died during their journey.
Hard-hitting in their stark portrayal, they offer a glimpse of a reality hidden from view, and are a somber reminder of the struggles faced by others just like them.
Scroll down to learn more about his subjects, and view the rest of the series here.
Mariana, 29 years old, Honduras. She was assaulted during her crossing as an undocumented person through Mexico, with the intent to arrive in the United States. She was pushed by the assailants into a ravine, and was able to avoid an attempted rape. Mariana’s travel companion was beaten when she attempted to defend her. She was moved to a hospital in Tenosique, Tabasco, and then three others when they did not perform the necessary operation. Fifteen days had passed (8 days were in a Hospital in Villahermosa, Tabasco) and the operation became urgent. The last doctor that saw her only requested a new splint and a call to immigration. — Tapachula, Chiapas, 2010.
Wendy fled from Honduras with her three children (Jared of 18 months, Jazmin of 3 years, and Eduardo of 8) because of the attempted murder she suffered by her husband, a member of the Mara Salvatrucha 18, one of the largest gangs in Central America. The complaint filed against her husband for domestic and sexual violence towards her and their three children had no solution in Honduras due to corruption. — Tapachula, Chiapas, 2014.
The husband’s hat. The husband of Lydia (Honduras) died two years ago from brain trauma during an impact against the train. It was the only item returned to Lydia when they delivered the body. She is traveling on foot with a caravan of undocumented migrants headed by Father Solalinde from the shelter “Brothers on the way.” D.F., Mexico, 2014
Yenifer, 8, Guatemala. She suffered, along with her 12 year old sister and 11 other migrants, an automobile accident in Chiapas. The accident was caused by a flat front tire of the truck they boarded. The only person who died was the driver. They wanted to reach the U.S. — Tapachula, Chiapas, 2014
“I’m 21, from Guatemala; while in the U.S. my brother, Danilo, and I were deported, and my brother Medardo was killed. In the end, I lost everything and I keep trying.” — Ixtepec, Oaxaca, 2011.
[via Feature Shoot, images by Nicola “Ókin” Frioli]