Living in squalor, Guatemalan mudslide survivors see stark choice: Emigrate to U.S. or die

[Judi Lynn]

After heavy rain, a girl hauls wood for cooking in the makeshift settlement of Nuevo Queja in Guatemala.(Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press)

BY ALBERTO ARCE AND RODRIGO ABD ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUG. 10, 2021 3:51 AM PT

NUEVO QUEJA, Guatemala — The day before he left for the United States was a busy one for Victor Cal. He went from relative to relative, collecting money to buy food during the journey north.
His mother was inconsolable. “I begged him not to go, that we could live here,” she said, again and again, “but the decision had already been made”.

He and his parents shared a small lunch — a couple of chiles with sesame seeds — in silence. His mother’s gloom weighed upon him; he announced he had to find somewhere to charge his phone “to receive calls so the coyote can tell me where and when we will finally meet.”

He set off on a bumpy, dirt road, looking to hitch a ride to any place with electricity. A motorbike pulled over and drove him to the nearest outlet, miles away.

More:
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-08-10/survivors-guatemalan-mudslide-face-death-or-emigration