Although they never planned to stay in the US for long, they risked everything to make it there. After a grueling bus ride through Guatemala, they boarded a freight train, known as the Beast, in Mexico, near a town in Tabasco called Tenosique. The train, twenty-eight cars long and brimming with threats, was the primary means for migrants to traverse Mexico. Bandits, rapists, and kidnappers lurked on board, scoping out potential victims. Crushed limbs and fatal falls were at least as common as assaults. The cars were packed, forcing many of the travelers to climb up the sides to reach the roof.
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