{"id":66,"date":"2017-03-16T12:58:24","date_gmt":"2017-03-16T16:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/lalinea\/?page_id=66"},"modified":"2017-03-22T11:08:06","modified_gmt":"2017-03-22T15:08:06","slug":"family-divided-border","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/projects.nyujournalism.org\/lalinea\/family-divided-border\/","title":{"rendered":"A family divided by the border"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sophie Herbut<\/p>\n

The Mexican American family live on the edge of a roundabout on a quiet street in El Paso, Texas. The houses on the street are identical, coated in the same shade of beige paint, like wet sand. Each house is almost indistinguishable from each other.<\/p>\n

But the other half of the family is in Juarez, Mexico. A car drive away. This family is divided by the border<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a very close family,\u201d said Gabriela in Spanish. She did not want to give her last name. \u201cWe never thought about [living in different places.]\u201d<\/p>\n

They cross that border every week to spend time with family. She doesn\u2019t worry about anything happening to their treasured weekly visits, despite the divisive politics of President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

His presidential platform was largely founded on an extreme view of immigration<\/a>. He believes undocumented immigrant cross the border and bring drugs and crimes.<\/p>\n

He wants a wall <\/a>built along the border between United States and Mexico with strict rules on who can enter the country.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s already a fence in El Paso and a larger border patrol presence. Gabriela and her family have lived with that wall there for a long time, but she doesn\u2019t let it divide them.<\/p>\n

The house has family photos scattered throughout, a wall was collaged with more. Some photos were adorned with saints or flowers next to them.<\/p>\n

Gabriela sat on her dinner table and did not stop smiling. She had just come back from the gym and was still wearing her sweats.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good thing about El Paso is that you have the opportunities of the United States with the culture of Mexico,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Moving to El Paso wasn\u2019t a decision the family took lightly. When they moved, Juarez was very dangerous. Crime was rampant and they took refuge in El Paso.<\/p>\n

\u201cThree years ago we found a way to come into the United States,\u201d she said. \u201cWe wanted a better life for our daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fear drove them to El Paso, but it doesn\u2019t keep them out of Juarez.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have breakfast or lunch every week,\u201d said Yaya, Gabriela\u2019s mother, who was visiting.<\/p>\n

Yaya lives in a gated community in Juarez. The houses in her neighborhood all look alike too. They\u2019re white with black metal accents. But unlike Gabriela, she knows all her neighbors.<\/p>\n

\u201cJuarez is different because you know all your neighbors,\u201d Gabriela said. \u201cHere I can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Yaya was dressed in her pajamas, ready to sleep early. She said her neighbors in Juarez kept her awake because they had a party with a full mariachi the night before.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought about moving to El Paso, but I\u2019m used to my neighborhood and neighbors,\u201d She said. \u201cEven though they sometimes have parties at four in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the occasional party, she said it\u2019s very relaxed. Since everyone knows each other, they understand.<\/p>\n

Luis, Gabriela\u2019s husband, crosses the border every day. He wakes up, takes his daughter, Regina, to school, and drives to his job in Juarez. Because he has to drop her off at school, he said it takes about an hour and a half for him to get to Juarez. To come back home, between 20 to 40 minutes, depending on traffic.<\/p>\n

When it comes to the border, traffic is what all of them complain about. Not the tolls, the gates, the security. The traffic.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing has changed [with the family] other than the time it takes,\u201d Luis said.<\/p>\n

The family has lunch or breakfast every week, just like they did when they lived in Juarez. Only now they stay over each other\u2019s house instead of driving home.<\/p>\n

For Regina, Gabriel\u2019s teenage daughter, the move meant sacrificing more time with her friends in Juarez.<\/p>\n

Regina has been going to school in El Paso since she was five, even while she lived in Juarez. Her mom used to drive her to school every morning from Juarez. A good education is more important to Regina than missing a few parties.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that the schools have a better future for me,\u201d she said. \u201cMy friends [in Juarez] don\u2019t care about their future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still it\u2019s hard for her because of the distance. The amount of time it takes to get to Juarez makes it difficult for her to keep up with her friends, but despite this, Regina is happy in El Paso. The border keeps her close to her family and friends in Mexico. Nothing\u2019s changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s affected my life,\u201d she said about moving to El Paso.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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