Caravana
by Carlos Morton
“They say if you bring a child to the border, the migra will grant you asylum!”
Edy, Leo, and Rowena leave Honduras on a caravan heading north to the United States. Each has their own reason for leaving (family reunification, poverty, violence). In order to fund their journey, they form a theater troupe and disguise themselves, dressing up like characters from Central American folklore. They also create a little boy puppet named Cipote (“kid” in Honduran slang). They cross into Guatemala, then Mexico, trying to “sound Mexican” so they don’t get caught and expelled by the authorities. They hop on the notorious train called La Bestia (The Beast) where Rowena falls off and miscarriages. Later, she tries to seek asylum, but is separated from the Cipote at the border. One by one, they all complete the crossing. What ensues is a comedy of errors where they are caught and deported, and finally settle in an inconstant state of neither here nor there.
