The Hotel del Migrante Deportado is a shelter that serves two groups: those recently deported from the United States and those recently arrived from Central America.

A man who volunteers at the shelter checks migrants in as they arrive. Every so often, he walks up and down the hallways of the warehouse-like building, making sure that guests follow the rules. Recently deported after living in the U.S. for almost 30 years, he took the job to stay busy and avoid thinking too much about home. His wife has chronic health issues, he says. They had talked regularly on the phone since he left, but recently lost touch. He fears she may be back in the hospital. Sometimes he daydreams about what it would take to get back to her: money he does not have, jugs of drinking water and a tall mountain to guide his way through the desert.

Alex Hall, 2019 U.S.-Mexico Border Fellow