Sonia Nazario Quotes

“The woman says: We have your son in Texas, but $1,200 is not enough. $1,700.”

“Thank you for returning to your country.”

“Chiapas, he says, ‘is a cemetary with no crosses, where people die without even getting a prayer.‘”

“I lost their childhood. Sometimes, you feel bad.”

“The train lurches hard from side to side. Enrique holds on with both hands.”

“They really screwed me up.”

“Can you imagine how far they have come?”

“People come here to prosper. You have nothing here. What have you accomplished?”

“We’ll have to leave the baby behind.”

“The conversation is awkward. His mother is a stranger. This is probably expensive.”

“She stares awkwardly down at the kitchen counter. Then, quietly, she tells me about four other children I never knew existed.”

″‘Dónde está mi mami?’ Enrique cries, over and over. ‘Where is my mom?‘”

“The single mothers who are coming to this country, and the children who follow them, are changing the face of immigration to the United States.”

“The train crawls out of the Tapachula station. From here on, he thinks, nothing bad can happen.”

“He hugs María Isabel and Aunt Rosa Amalia. Then he steps off.”

“This is what they get for doing this journey.”

“It’s wrong for our government to send people back to Central America. If we don’t want to be stopped from going into the United States, how can we stop Central Americans in our country?”

“She (Olga) reaches out with her mangled hand. ‘God needs you. He doesn’t need you with all your limbs. He needs your heart. You have much to give.‘”

“Jasmín waves with both hands and calls out, “Adiós, mami. Adiós, mami. Adiós, mami.”

“In spite of everything, Enrique has failed again - he will not reach the United States this time, either. He tells himself over and over that he’ll just have to try again.”