Riding 'La Bestia' with migrants in Mexico

Summary

Consider This: Riding 'La Bestia' with Migrants in Mexico
Episode Release Date: March 9, 2025
Host: Scott Detrow, NPR

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Riding 'La Bestia' with Migrants in Mexico," NPR's Scott Detrow delves deep into the perilous journey of migrants traversing Mexico aboard the freight trains known as La Bestia (The Beast). Hosted by NPR's Mexico City correspondent, Ader Peralta, the episode offers an immersive exploration of the motivations, risks, and personal stories of those seeking a better life in the United States despite daunting challenges and stringent immigration policies.

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The Journey: Boarding and Riding La Bestia

The core of the episode revolves around Scott Detrow's firsthand experience of joining thousands of migrants atop La Bestia, a freight train that snakes through Mexico, serving as a lifeline for those desperate to reach the U.S. border without relying on smugglers.

Setting the Scene

At [00:30], Ader Peralta sets the stage by describing the tense moments when hundreds of migrants await the arrival of a freight train, each hoping to leap aboard and embark northward:

Ader Peralta [00:30]: "Hundreds of migrants were waiting for freight trains, hoping to jump aboard and ride north toward the U.S. border."

The Boarding Process

Scott Detrow explains the migrants' strategic approach to boarding:

Scott Detrow [01:09]: "They have this term that they say 'vamos a ponchar el tren,' which translates to 'we're going to puncture the train.'... What they're hoping will happen is that it disrupts the train's air brakes, and so that would usually cause an emergency stop."

This method underscores the desperation and ingenuity of migrants attempting to safely board a moving train traveling at high speeds.

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Migrants' Motivations and Personal Stories

The episode delves into the heartfelt reasons driving migrants to undertake such a dangerous journey, emphasizing that the pursuit of the American Dream remains a powerful motivator despite harsh realities.

Hope for a Better Future

At [04:17], Scott shares a poignant interaction with a Venezuelan woman:

Scott Detrow [04:17]: "She said, 'you guys think that the American dream is dead, but for us, the American dream is still very much alive.' For her, it was that her two kids could get an education."

A Mother's Resolve

Further illustrating personal stakes, Scott recounts meeting a Venezuelan mother and her son:

Scott Detrow [04:17]: "Her son told me... he had a little kid in Venezuela and he hadn't been able to buy him a birthday present. What this trip could mean... is that one day his kid could have a birthday present."

These narratives highlight that for many migrants, the journey is fueled by the desire to provide tangible improvements in their children's lives.

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The Harsh Realities and Risks

While La Bestia offers a clandestine route to the U.S., the dangers associated with it are immense, as detailed throughout the episode.

Physical Dangers

Migrants face numerous threats, including:

• Violence: Kidnappings, assaults, and extortion by cartels.
• Accidents: Frequent derailments and falls from the train.
• Environmental Hazards: Exposure to extreme weather conditions, such as freezing temperatures during overnight rides.

Scott's Personal Challenge

Scott Detrow candidly shares his fears and discomfort during the 12-hour night ride:

Scott Detrow [09:00]: "I have to say, I didn't realize how hard this was... Part of that train ride was at night, and it was in the high 30s, and that train is moving at 50 miles an hour."

He reflects on the physical and emotional toll of the journey:

Scott Detrow [10:40]: "The sun. Literally all I could think about is, what am I doing? Like, why did we do this? And when is that sun going to come up?"

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Impact of U.S. Immigration Policies

The episode critically examines how shifting U.S. immigration policies influence the experiences and decisions of migrants.

Policy Shifts Under the Trump Administration

Ader Peralta summarizes the exacerbated difficulties migrants face due to policy changes:

Ader Peralta [03:42]: "With the Trump administration suspending asylum claims at the southern border... there are fewer avenues to entering the United States than there were even a few months ago."

Heartbreak of Policy Reversals

Scott recounts the profound impact of policy reversals on migrants' hopes:

Scott Detrow [14:38]: "As President Trump took office... the CPP1 appointment... goes offline just minutes after he does. And the heartbreak on that international bridge, it's hard to describe."

This abrupt policy shift dashed the hopes of many migrants who had been guided by the promise of support and facilitated entry into the U.S.

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Reflections and Insights

Through his immersive reporting, Scott Detrow gains a deeper understanding of the migrant experience, underscoring the importance of personal engagement in journalism.

The Value of Firsthand Experience

Scott explains why he chose to ride La Bestia:

Scott Detrow [07:29]: "Pedro Anza... told me, 'You should ride the train. It gives you a very different understanding of the migrant experience.'"

Facing Personal Fears

Despite his fear of heights, Scott embraces the challenge to authentically portray the migrants' plight:

Scott Detrow [12:56]: "I have a different opinion than my photographer friend... I'm afraid of, like, Ferris wheels. So, like, I don't like heights."

This vulnerability adds depth to his reporting, allowing listeners to connect more profoundly with the migrants' stories.

Enduring Commitment Amidst Obstacles

Even after enduring extreme hardship on the train, Scott emphasizes the migrants' relentless pursuit of a better life:

Ader Peralta [07:07]: "Why take the risk?"

Scott Detrow [07:07]: "We've been going through hell. And whatever he says is nothing compared to what we've already been through."

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Conclusion

"Riding 'La Bestia' with Migrants in Mexico" offers a sobering glimpse into the lives of those risking everything for a chance at a better future. Through detailed storytelling, personal anecdotes, and raw reflections, Scott Detrow and Ader Peralta illuminate the human cost of immigration policies and the enduring hope that drives migrants northward. This episode not only informs but also fosters empathy, urging listeners to consider the profound sacrifices made in pursuit of the American Dream.

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Notable Quotes:

• Ader Peralta [01:45]: "The train can offer a way to travel north without paying smugglers. But the risks are great."

• Scott Detrow [04:17]: "For her, it was that her two kids could get an education."

• Scott Detrow [10:40]: "What am I doing? Like, why did we do this? And when is that sun going to come up?"

• Scott Detrow [14:38]: "That app goes offline just minutes after he does. And the heartbreak on that international bridge, it's hard to describe."

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting the key discussions, personal stories, and critical insights shared by Scott Detrow and Ader Peralta. By foregrounding the human experiences behind migration, the episode invites listeners to engage thoughtfully with one of today's most pressing humanitarian issues.

Transcript

[Ader Peralta]

Kids are going to be kids wherever they are.

[Scott Detrow]

I remember there was this one kid who was putting plastic bottles on the, on the train tracks just to see what happened to them.

[Ader Peralta]

This is Eder Peralta, NPR's Mexico City correspondent. It was December, and he was in a train yard in northwest Mexico.

[Scott Detrow]

So at some point I gave him a little coin so he could put it on the train track and see what happened to it. And indeed, I had never done this before.

[Ader Peralta]

I did this when I was a kid. Yeah, yeah.

[Scott Detrow]

And it flattens it, right? It's like one of those machines.

[Ader Peralta]

This was a moment downtime between many periods of acute motion. Hundreds of migrants were waiting for freight trains, hoping to jump aboard and ride north toward the U.S. border.

[Scott Detrow]

They have, like their whole lives with them. You know, they have just bags full of coats and blankets, and they have jugs of water.

[Ader Peralta]

When a train would finally approach.

[Scott Detrow]

They'Re so heavy that, like the earth beneath it sort of he heaves as they move across. Right. It almost feels like the gravity of the train pulls you toward it.

[Ader Peralta]

The trains moved so fast that jumping on directly would be impossible for most of the migrants.

[Scott Detrow]

So they have this term that they say vamosa ponchar el tren, which translates to we're going to puncture the train. And so the young people, they will put on gloves like a ski mask to protect their face and their eyes. And then as the train comes, they just sprint, like right beside it, and they somehow jump on and then they just start turning knobs and pulling levers. And what they're hoping will happen is that it disrupts the train's air brakes, and so that would usually cause an emergency stop.

[Ader Peralta]

The migrants Ater and his photographer were following finally found the train they wanted, and they got it to stop. They climbed up to the top of the train and Ater and his colleague joined them. They all spent a frigid night riding north at 50 miles an hour. In Mexico, this train is called La Bestia, the Beast. It's a treacherous and often deadly leg of the journey to the US Border. Consider this. Despite the Trump administration's hard line on immigration, many migrants are still traveling north to the border. Today we bring you a reporter's notebook riding along with Ader on La Bestia to understand why migrants still take this risk. From npr, I'm Scott Detrow. This message comes from Fisher Investments. Senior Vice president Michael Hosmar shares one way their fiduciary duty comes to life when working with clients.

[Scott Detrow]

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[Ader Peralta]

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[Michael Hosmar]

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[Ader Peralta]

It'S consider this from NPR. Migrants have been riding La Bestia for decades. The train can offer a way to travel north without paying smugglers. But the risks are great. Migrants have been kidnapped, assaulted and extorted by cartels. Accidents are common. Migrants have been killed and maimed by falling from the tops of the freight cars. And now, with the Trump administration suspending asylum claims at the southern border, there are fewer avenues to entering the United States than there were even a few months ago. So the question Ader Peralta had when he set out to join migrants on La Vestria was simple. Why take the risk?

[Scott Detrow]

There was this Venezuelan woman who I met, and she had slung her little girl just on her shoulder. And I asked her, like, you know, why do this and why do this right now? And she sort of like looked at me, surprised, I think, at the question. And she said, you know, you guys think that the American dream is dead, but for us, the American dream is still very much alive. And I think what the explanation for that, that I got over talking to dozens of migrants is that the American dream is not this grand idea. It's a really simple idea. For her, it was that her two kids could get an education. I also met this mother and son from Venezuela as well, Brian Yalitsa, who was his mom, and his mom was in her 50s and he was 23, right. And Yalitsa's husband died. And she says, she told Brian, you know, this is our chance. I've got nothing to lose. We can do this and you can find a better life now. And so they left. And so she told me why I'm doing this is because I think that Brian, my son, could become an entrepreneur. He can have a better life. And Then talking to her son, he told me something much simpler, right. Which was that he had a little kid in Venezuela and he hadn't been able to buy him a birthday present. What this trip could mean, what this American dream could mean, is that one day his kid could have a birthday present.

[Ader Peralta]

Even when the policy of the US Government right now is we don't want you, we don't want to give you any of these resources, we want to arrest you or deport you for the country, or both.

[Scott Detrow]

Yeah. But, you know, I think another thing about these migrants, right, is they've been told that throughout a lot of these migrants, they've been at this for years. Years. You know, a lot of these Venezuelan migrants, you know, they first started in Colombia and then, you know, they crossed the jungle in Panama and then, you know, they went up to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras. Right. And. And so we were catching these migrants at the tail end of a journey. I think that's a lot of why they're saying, we don't care what the American President says. We've been going through hell. And whatever he says is nothing compared to what we've already been through.

[Ader Peralta]

Let me turn the why question to you, because obviously the immigration story is a major part of your beat. But you can, and you have told that story a lot of different ways. Why to you was this story worth climbing on top of a two story freight train and riding it as it traveled 50 miles an hour?

[Scott Detrow]

You know, this story was born out of a conversation I had with my wife. You know, we live in Mexico City and Mexico City is a stop along the way for migrants. So you see a lot of migrant families. And my wife had a question, right? She was saying, I don't know that I have the capacity emotionally to put my family through a trip like this. And what she was saying is I have a hard time understanding migrants who do. I was like, you know, that's probably a question that many of our listeners have. I had met this Mexican photographer, Pedro Anza. I had met him in Haiti when we were doing some coverage in Haiti. And he rides this train a lot. He's working on a long term project on this train. And he had told me, you know, you should ride the train. It gives you a very different understanding of the migrant experience.

[Ader Peralta]

Was he right? Did. On the other side of that, did you feel like you understood this in a different way?

[Scott Detrow]

I did. I have to say, I didn't realize how hard this was. You know, I was coming off of an assignment in Lebanon. I was there as Israel started bombing, it was missiles and you could feel the force of them, right? So, like, I was like, well, you know, what's getting on a train, right?

[Ader Peralta]

It's all relative.

[Scott Detrow]

I was. But I was wrong. Yeah, Scott, like that we spent a 12 hour. Part of that train ride was at night, and it was in the high 30s, and that train is moving at 50 miles an hour. So, like just the wind, right?

[Ader Peralta]

And is there any cover whatsoever up there?

[Scott Detrow]

I assume no, no cover. And like, one of the, there's this, there are these people who help the migrants. And this lady, like, she saw me and the photographer I was with, and she said, you guys are crazy. Like you don't know what you're getting into. And, and she gave us this very thin blanket. And I was like, I'm not going to take this. Give it to one of the migrants, right? Like, I, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm just here as a reporter. I'm not, I'm not doing this. And she's like, you're going to want this. And so, like, I took it sort of with a little shame. And in the middle of the night, I was just holding onto that blanket. It is freezing out here. Everyone just woke up. The train has picked up speed again. It's like, it was difficult. And you're just, you know, there's so many people on that train that you can't, you can't really move. But there's also like, not really body warmth that you're getting, like, from other people. Nobody's talking. It's so loud. The wind, right? You're just like, you look up and all you see is like, there was like a full moon, right? And like, you really can't see anything on either side.

[Ader Peralta]

What were you, like, thinking about on like, hour six or seven or eight, sitting on top of this train? The sun.

[Scott Detrow]

The sun. Literally all I could think about is, what am I doing? Like, why did we do this? And when is that sun going to come up?

[Ader Peralta]

That's a good segue. Ader that you, I think probably more than anybody on staff right now at npr, have a particular knack of finding yourself in tricky situations in the middle of a story and often maximizing that and using that situation to tell a better story and to understand the topic that you're covering even more and help listeners understand that you've been detained in South Sudan. I remember hearing live on the radio when you were reporting on something, as people were throwing rocks at the tin roof of the building, you were In.

[Scott Detrow]

It was in Kenya.

[Ader Peralta]

In Kenya, as you did a live radio hit. How do you generally think about the pros and cons? And at one point, it's not worth it to keep going for you personally.

[Scott Detrow]

I think my editor always tells me, like, ayder, the chaos will be there tomorrow, right? Whatever chaos that is, right? Haiti will be there tomorrow. She's like, let's take a breath. Because my instinct, right, as a journalist is. Is, let's go. I grew up in Miami, and the first house we stayed at, it was like a corner house and like a big intersection, right? And so there was always car crashes, and, like, no one could keep me from going to see the car crash, right? It was like, the thing I did. So, like, I always want to run toward things, but I. There's always a conversation between me and my editors about risk versus benefit. It's interesting because on this train, I had a different opinion than my photographer friend. You know, we had gotten on a couple of trains and they were moving in the wrong direction. Everybody got off, and I was not comfortable on top of that train. You know, you're two stories up. I'm afraid of, like, Ferris wheels. So, like, I don't like heights.

[Ader Peralta]

I'm with you on that. I can do roller coasters, but Ferris wheels, the slow height of it.

[Scott Detrow]

Same, no? And then, like, sometimes, you know, you have to walk on top of those things and you have to jump from cart to cart and that.

[Ader Peralta]

I clenched up hearing that part of the story as you described it.

[Scott Detrow]

That made me really uncomfortable. I rarely am physically scared, right? Yeah, I was physically scared. And I sat down at some point with Pedro Anza, the photographer who was with me on this trip, and I said, I'm not doing this. And I'm like, we won't even use it for the story. I said, because actually, in the end, we used about one paragraph of that awful 12 hours overnight of freezing cold. And so in my mind, I was making that calculation, right? And he stopped me and he said, you will never understand what they go through unless you get on the train with them.

[Ader Peralta]

Ader, I want to end this conversation the way you ended this story, because the fact is, for a lot of these people, maybe even a majority of these people, all of this long, long journey, which, like you said, the very end of, is riding across the desert, freezing cold, on the top of a train, it's all for naught because you end the story by talking about a family who. They make it across the border, they turn themselves in and seek for asylum, and they're immediately kicked out of the United States. And yet, as you write in the story, they the next day start heading north again. Yeah.

[Scott Detrow]

You know, just as President Trump took office, I was in Ciudad Juarez at the border, and I actually met some of the same migrants that had been on the train with me.

[Ader Peralta]

Same people.

[Scott Detrow]

The same people. And they were waiting in line because they had gotten a CPP1 appointment, which is this app that the Biden administration used to have. And that's kind of like that is the glimmer of hope. That was the glimmer of hope for so many migrants. Right. And on that day, Trump takes the oath of office, and that app goes offline just minutes after he does. And the heartbreak on that international bridge, it's hard to describe, honestly. You're just watching somebody's world crumble in a few minutes. And to know, I guess to have felt what it's like for a little tiny period. Right. Of how hard that journey is, to watch it crumble on that day, I mean, you know, that's, I think it's difficult.

[Ader Peralta]

That's Ader Peralta, Mexico City correspondent for npr. Ader, thanks for walking us through one of your stories and helping us understand how you think about all of this.

[Scott Detrow]

Thank you, Scott.

[Ader Peralta]

This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and edited by Adam Rainey and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigan. It's consider this from NPR, I'm Scott Detrow.

[Michael Hosmar]

This message comes from Lisa. Since 2015, Lisa has donated over 41,000 mattresses nationwide. Elevate your sleep with Lisa. Go to Lisa.com for 20% off, plus an extra $50 off with promo code. NPR this message comes from Pemco Mutual Insurance Company. Their mission is to help customers worry less and live more. So they're sharing prevention tips that empower you to prevent some of life's pitfalls before they happen. Visit pemco.com prevention this message comes from BetterHelp. It can be hard to know all the answers, but finding them can be easier with support. Build your support system with BetterHelp online therapy at betterhelp. Com. NPR Today.