A migrant walks atop a parked freight train known as 'The Beast' on the outskirts of Piedras Negras on October 8, 2023.

Migrants and asylum seekers lacking the financial resources to pay for the services of a smuggler or endure weeks of waiting for necessary paperwork at Mexico's southern border from migratory authorities, along with the additional cost of a bus ticket or plane ticket, often resort to using cargo trains as their mode of transportation to reach the United States border. Unfortunately, this method is widely recognized as dangerous, with hundreds having fallen onto the tracks over the years, resulting in fatalities or mutilation.

Furthermore, thousands have fallen victim to extortion, rape, kidnapping, or robbery orchestrated by drug cartels or corrupt authorities when the train makes stops in various towns along its northward journey.

13 × 19 7/10 × 1/5 in | 33 × 50 × 0.5 cm
Inkjet print on Hahnemuhle Baryta Paper