Story

Altar, Sonora: A Dangerous Crossing

August 17, 2009 | Pulitzer Center
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A group of migrants are stopped and searched by the Mexican army near Sasabe, Sonora.

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A group of migrants ride in the back of a truck near Sasabe, Sonora just before they begin their desert crossing.

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A portion of the US border fence near Sasabe, Sonora.

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A group of migrants ride in the back of a truck near Sasabe, Sonora just before they begin their desert crossing.

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A recently returned migrant sits under a tree in the desert near Sasabe, Sonora. He said he got separated form his guide and instead of trying to continue the trip alone he returned to Mexico.

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A member of Grupo Beta, a Mexican government organization that aids migrants, helps a young man find his friend who he says got lost as they tried to return to Mexico after getting separated from their guide.

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A member of Grupo Beta, a Mexican government organization that aids migrants, helps a young man find his friend who he says got lost as they tried to return to Mexico after getting separated from their guide.

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A group of migrants wait to be registered and the Casa Juan Bosco, a shelter for migrants in Nogales, Sonora. The majority of migrants caught by the US border patrol in the desert are either deported or repatriated to Nogales. They arrive with no money and often must stay in a shelter until they get enough money to return to their homes or make another crossing.

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A group of migrants wait to be registered and the Casa Juan Bosco, a shelter for migrants in Nogales, Sonora. The majority of migrants caught by the US border patrol in the desert are either deported or repatriated to Nogales. They arrive with no money and often must stay in a shelter until they get enough money to return to their homes or make another crossing.

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A view of Nogales, Sonora. The majority of migrants caught by the US border patrol in the desert are either deported or repatriated to Nogales. They arrive with no money and often must stay in a shelter until they get enough money to return to their homes or make another crossing.

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A group of migrants are taken to the Casa Juan Bosco, a shelter for migrants in Nogales, Sonora. The majority of migrants caught by the US border patrol in the desert are either deported or repatriated to Nogales. They arrive with no money and often must stay in a shelter until they get enough money to return to their homes or make another crossing.

After leaving Altar, migrants face a variety of threats, like drug cartels, bandits, the environment and US Border Patrol. They often get lost or disoriented in the desert and depend on the Border Patrol, or Mexico's Grupo Beta, to find them and save them from dehydration or hypothermia. The ones who are picked up by the border patrol are usually deported or repatriated to Nogales, Sonora, where they will rest up and prepare for their next attempt at crossing.

David Rochkind / Pulitzer Center