Enrique's Journey

Immigration and child abandonment are central themes in Nazario’s book. Learning that Carmen had four children in Guatemala whom she hadn’t seen in 12 years spurred Nazario to write the articles that resulted in Enrique’s Journey. Carmen’s story brings an important issue to the fore, namely, that US immigration policies split families apart. Carmen had no way to provide for her children after being abandoned by her husband. She tells Nazario about the crushing poverty in Guatemala, where her children often went to bed hungry. Instead of serving them food, Carmen gave them advice about how to quell their hunger pains: “Sleep facedown so your stomach won’t growl so much” (X). Carmen made the difficult decision to leave Guatemala to search for work. She persevered during the harsh journey north and after arriving in the US. Like many immigrant mothers, she had to find employment, send money home, and maintain familial relationships over long distances.

Chapter 1 opens with Lourdes abandoning Enrique in Honduras. Neither Lourdes nor Enrique understand the impact this event will have on their lives. Lourdes optimistically believes that their separation will be brief: “She will be gone for one year—less, with luck” (4). In fact, it takes years about 12 years for her to see Enrique again, and 17 to see Belky. Like many immigrant mothers, Lourdes abandons her children out of love. Lourdes has no means of supporting her children after her husband walks out on her. Finding work in the US is her only option. Although Lourdes knows immigrating is the right decision, she is overcome with guilt as she leaves her children. She does not explain where she is going, nor can she bring herself to say goodbye. The event traumatizes Enrique, who cries, “‘¿Dónde está mi mami?’ […] over and over. ‘Where is my mom?” (5).

Enrique relives this trauma when his father abandons him to start a relationship with a new woman. He moves into a small shack with his paternal grandmother, who later kicks him out, exacerbating his feelings of being unlovable. Enrique becomes easily attached to parental figures as a result of being abandoned, as evidenced by his relationship with his uncle Marco. As a consequence, he is devastated by Marco’s murder and feels abandoned yet again in the aftermath, when “Uncle Marco’s girlfriend sells Enrique’s television, stereo, and Nintendo game—all gifts from Marco. Without telling him why, she says, ‘I don’t want you here anymore.’ She puts his bed out on the street” (30).

Nazario provides vivid descriptions of Enrique’s journey through Mexico. Her account is based on Enrique’s descriptions and on her personal experiences retracing his steps. Migrants who travel north take a minimum of seven trains to get through Mexico. The trip can take anywhere from a month to more than a year. Many go for days without food. Like adult migrants, unaccompanied minors do not have proper papers. Their most prized possessions are their mothers’ phone numbers. Although the route is fraught with danger, approximately 48,000 unaccompanied minors enter the United States from Central America and Mexico each year. Like Enrique, many child migrants are robbed and beaten along the way. Some are raped and killed. The lucky few who are not victims of crime still face a difficult road: “They are cold, hungry, and helpless. They are hunted like animals by corrupt police, bandits, and gang members deported from the United States” (5).

Shakedowns of migrants by Mexican authorities are common, as evidenced by Enrique’s experiences. On one occasion, officers put him and other migrants in the back of their truck and demanded 100 pesos for their release. On another occasion, officers steal everything Enrique has–a total of $4. Many migrants describe being locked up until a relative in the US can wire the fee to buy their freedom. As Nazario observes, police corruption is rampant in Mexico: “For immigration agents, squeezing cash from migrants is central to day-to-day operations, helping underpaid agents buy big houses and nice cars. At highway checkpoints, agents charge smugglers $50 to $200 per migrant to pass through. The checkpoint boss typically gets half the take; his workers split the rest” (49).

Despite this danger and hardship, love drives children like Enrique to find their mothers. They idealize the absent parent. This overwhelming desire for a lost family connection compels them to make the journey north. According to counselors at a Texas detention center, most unaccompanied minors from Central America travel to the US to reunite with a parent: “75 percent are looking for their mothers. Some children say they need to find out whether their mothers still love them” (5). Indeed, children remain highly attached to their mothers despite not having seen them in years; a priest in Texas tells Nazario that unaccompanied minors “often bring pictures of themselves in their mothers’ arms” (5).

Abandonment takes a harsh toll on children. Enrique develops attachment issues, as evidenced by his instant bond with Marco. The cycle of abandonment continues when Marco is murdered and Enrique loses yet another paternal figure. Enrique also suffers from depression and turns to drugs to cope with his sadness. Unable to express his feelings in a healthy, productive manner, he starts sniffing glue at age 15. His aunt catches him and banishes him to a small stone building with no electricity behind the house. Despite falling in love for the first time, Enrique’s drug addiction worsens. His first failed attempt to enter the US pushes him deeper into addiction. He ends up owing 6,000 lempiras ($400) to his drug dealer, which he pays by stealing his aunt’s jewelry. As Nazario notes, drug addiction is a common problem among abandoned children in Honduras. According to the priest in Enrique’s hometown, 26 children died of drug overdoses in a period of six years. Enrique’s confrontation with Ana Lucía over his drug use marks a turning point in his life. Feeling misunderstood, unloved, and unwanted, he decides to leave Honduras and search for his mother.

Nazario’s discussion of work and motherhood reveals important cultural and class distinctions in the United States and Central America. For example, Carmen is baffled by middle-class and wealthy working mothers in the US:

‘These women,’ she says, ‘could tighten their belts, stay at home, spend all their time with their children. Instead, they devote most of their waking hours and energy to careers, with little left for the children. Why,’ she asks, with disbelief on her face, ‘would anyone do that?’ (xi).

Just as Carmen is shocked by American women prioritizing work over motherhood, Nazario is shocked by Carmen’s story. Like many Americans, she was unaware of the problems facing immigrants from Latin America. Her goal with Enrique’s Journey is to make these stories public and, in the process, to humanize immigrants. In other words, she aims to provide an alternative to the typical immigration narrative, which consists largely of ideological talking points designed to win political arguments.