It Could Happen Here

Darién Gap: One Year Later | Part Two: To Be Called By No Name

Host: Cool Zone Media and iHeartPodcasts
Air Date: December 2, 2025

Overview

This episode of It Could Happen Here delves into the theme of how migrants’ pain and deaths are erased or anonymized—sometimes literally, sometimes through the callousness of journalism and bureaucracy. Beginning with the haunting story of the 1948 Los Gatos plane crash and Woody Guthrie’s "Deportee" song, the episode weaves in contemporary accounts of migrants like Primrose, Anouk, and Rose, tracing their perilous journeys and brutally honest reflections on migration, identity, and the persistent injustices along the path to the U.S. The episode is a meditation on erasure, memory, dignity, and the human cost behind migration statistics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The 1948 Los Gatos Plane Crash: Roots of Erasure

Segment: [04:00–18:09]

• Narrative of Anonymity: The host recounts the 1948 crash in California; 28 Mexican migrant workers died, their names omitted in media coverage.
  • "The names, ages and hometowns of the crew and the INS agent were given along with, quote, 28 Mexican agricultural workers. Their lives apparently were unremarkable and even in death they didn’t deserve the dignity of being mentioned by name. Like people." ([07:56])
• Woody Guthrie’s Protest: Moved by this omission, Guthrie wrote "Deportee," a song that became a cross-generational protest anthem. Various artists have since recorded it, underscoring its persistent relevance.
  • "Maybe that’s why everyone from Dolly Parton to Bob Dylan... has sung a version of this song." ([12:33])
• Delayed Dignity: It wasn’t until decades later that local activists and researchers reconstructed the identities of those who perished and erected a proper memorial.
  • "The hard work of finding these people’s names was taken up by people not even alive when that plane crashed... It wasn’t until September 28, 2024... that a proper memorial was built for them in the canyon." ([15:33])

2. Migrant Erasure in Modern Media

Segment: [21:43–26:00]

• Echoes in Today’s Journalism: The host critiques how present-day coverage still anonymizes or simplifies the stories of migrants, often reducing them to ‘stories’ or ‘a group’.
  • "The people who die for the American dream are totally ignored in the coverage of migration. The real cost of our border externalization... are completely invisible to most people in this country." ([22:41])
• Primrose’s Story: The viral video of Primrose falling as she entered the U.S. is dissected. Though widely shared, her full story and consent/identity were ignored.
  • "Even now, I feel it’s embarrassing me, because... if I met people they said, are you not the one who fell down? ...I was running for my life, but people just comment whatever they want... So that video, even now, I’m not even happy." — Primrose ([23:53])
  • The impact is not only on her but also on her family and daughter, who continue to face trauma as a result.

3. Why Migrants Leave: Testimonies from Zimbabwe and Beyond

Segment: [26:00–34:00]

• Not a ‘Luxury’: Primrose shares the violence, political repression, and loss that compelled her to flee Zimbabwe with her daughter.
  • "If I wanted to come to America for beggars, I would maybe go and apply for the visa. But... they can even kill you in Zimbabwe. We can’t even protesting for our rights... I lose a lot of friends. Kidnapped, killed. Me also in Zimbabwe, they even tortured me, wanted to kill me." — Primrose ([27:33])
• Additive Dangers: Even after fleeing Zimbabwe, xenophobic violence in South Africa continues to haunt her.
  • "Especially in South Africa, people are killed with xenophobia... I just came here for my life. I just need my life and my daughter’s life. Because if I die today, I don’t have anybody can look after my daughter." ([30:34])
• Lingering Trauma:
  • "I’m not even 100% okay. I still have lots of memories. Stress. Yeah... We were together in Zimbabwe when they kidnapped us for five days. So she just died. It was 2020… We were fighting for our future." — Primrose ([31:43])

4. Migration as a Global Phenomenon

Segment: [37:08–43:53]

• Anouk’s Journey (Nepal):
  • Anouk, forced out by political persecution, outlines a harrowing multi-step migration — Nepal → Dubai → Qatar → Brazil → Bolivia → Peru → Ecuador → Colombia → Panama.
  • "We are just. Everyone is human being. Of course we have some problems. So we need to leave our country, right?... We need to be kind to each other." — Anouk ([41:46])
• The Disappearance of Individuals: Many migrants’ fates remain unknown, lost in the bureaucracy or fearful of surfacing.
  • "I haven’t heard from Anouk since then. I have no idea where he and his friends are or how the journey… ended. Like so many other migrants, he disappeared. For me, in the mass of humanity heading north." — Host ([41:59])

5. The Relentlessness and Purpose of the Journey: Rose’s Testimony (Bolivia)

Segment: [43:53–48:41]

• Economic Desperation: Rose migrates for work, to support her children, citing poverty and lack of opportunities in Bolivia. ([43:53])
  • "There you can’t work, you can’t earn enough… I have children. So that’s what motivates me to go to another country... a future for them."
• Dangers of the Darien Gap:
  • "There are many pregnant women, women with children, elderly people… There are rivers that come up to your shoulders, up to your neck... There are those rocks that you slip on and die. There are mountains that you have to climb. Of course, if you don’t want to go meet God, you have to climb..." — Rose ([44:50])
• Shared Purpose: Migration is never casual for these families.
  • "We are not bad people. We are good people. We do it for a purpose, which is our family… our children." ([47:28])
  • "My dream... is to provide for my children. I have two sons. They’re waiting for me. I have my family, my dad, my brothers. So for that reason, we set off to go there." — Rose ([48:11])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "The fundamental decency of giving the deceased a name, treating them like people and not human waste, seems so basic. And yet, three quarters of a century later, reporting hasn’t got any better." — Host ([21:43])
• Primrose’s anger at viral exploitation:
  "Yes, I know people, they make money with my video. Maybe he was supposed... to close my face or to do something... I don’t even know who posted the video. And I think I need to... but I’m very angry with the person who posted the video." ([23:53])
• On the global nature of bigotry:
  "Concepts like xenophobia, bigotry, sexism, homophobia, they’re not just American issues, they’re global issues. And that’s why we say nobody’s free until everybody’s free." — Host ([31:31])
• Rose’s stark summary:
  "Of course, if you don’t want to go meet God, you have to climb mountains that are slippery with stones, rocks."
• Anouk’s plea:
  "We are just. Everyone is human being. Of course we have some problems. So we need to leave our country, right?... We need to be kind." ([41:46])
• The host’s closing perspective:
  "Dreams don’t have to be true, nor do they have to be that far fetched. Most people coming to America know they’ll work hard... But the chance to work and be paid, to speak and not fear consequences, to be able to feed your kids... Those are dreams too. They’re dreams that people are willing to risk their lives for." ([49:01])

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:00 | Los Gatos plane crash and the birth of “Deportee” song | | 10:00 | Details on the Bracero Program and US-Mexico labor arrangements | | 18:09 | Names of Los Gatos victims and new memorial | | 21:43 | Host’s reflection on erasure in modern migration coverage | | 23:51 | Primrose describes the trauma of being featured in viral media | | 27:33 | Primrose recounts political terror, family loss in Zimbabwe | | 30:34 | Dangers in South Africa after fleeing Zimbabwe | | 31:43 | Primrose discusses lasting trauma and memories of lost friends | | 37:08 | Anouk, from Nepal, tells his journey through multiple countries | | 41:46 | Anouk’s message to Americans | | 43:53 | Rose (Bolivia) describes hardship, the Darien journey, and her dream | | 49:01 | Host’s meditation on the real “American Dream” and its cost |

Conclusion

This episode powerfully illustrates the ongoing struggle of migrants against both systemic erasure and personal peril. The stories echo the Los Gatos tragedy: real people, too often nameless, forced into dangerous journeys by violence, poverty, and hope, then further dehumanized by the mechanisms and narratives of borders and media. The episode ultimately calls for empathy, memory, and recognition—to see migrants like Primrose, Anouk, and Rose not as faceless masses but as individuals whose sacrifices and dreams command visibility and dignity.