Dying to Cross: The Worst Immigrant Tragedy in American History

By Jorge Ramos

Book Overview

From esteemed journalist Jorge Ramos, in what is indicative of the strained and even desperate times in which we live, comes a tragic story about the death of nineteen people, the final hours of their incredible ordeal, and the network of individuals (and countries) who profit from what is considered by many nothing less than modern-day slavery. According to the latest reports, approximately three thousand people a day are caught attempting to cross the borders of the United States. Yet for every three thousand caught, hundreds actually do make it across and begin what they think will be a better life than the one left behind in their homelands. The risks are immense for these individuals: the dangers lurking behind every decision made, every shady deal agreed upon, lead many toward the edge of mortality. Many fall off this edge and are later found dead -- an unmarked, unidentified corpse in a country where their dreams will never be realized, and, worse, their bodies never even identified. On the hot and humid evening of May 13, 2003, at least seventy-three people boarded a tightly sealed trailer truck in what they hoped to be the final leg of an intricate journey toward their dream of living and working within the United States. The trailer they were riding in was to take them from Harlingen, Texas, to Houston, about three hundred miles away. The trailer never made it passed Victoria, Texas, a place that would become the site of the single worst immigrant tragedy in U.S. history. With the passion and insightful analysis that characterizes his work, Emmy Award-winning journalist Jorge Ramos recounts the events of this chilling tragedy, as he tries to understand how something so inhumane can happen in the twenty-first century. Through interviews with survivors who had the courage to share their stories and conversations with the victims' families, and in examining the political implications of the incident on both U.S. and Mexican immigration policies, Jorge Ramos tells the story of one of the most heartbreaking episodes of our nation's history.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060789441
• ISBN13: 9780060789442
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Rayo
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.7" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Triste historia

Es un libro muy bueno que nos da a conocer la historia de todo lo que pasan los immigrantes para cruzar la frontera y poder llegar a alcanzar el "Sueno Americano". Desafortunadamente muchas personas son capaces de arriesgar hasta sus propias vidas, la de sus familiares e incluso morir en el intento.

Excelente crónica de una tragedia

Magníficamente narrado y con excelente ritmo, el libro atrapa y ya no suelta: el lector permanece enganchado a esa historia terrible y no puede dejarla hasta terminar. Un libro que todo el mundo debería leer.

Jorge Ramos has a reporter's drive and provides astute analysis

I'm a big fan of Jorge Ramos' work. It would be very easy for him to sit behind his anchor desk at Univision and collect his substantial salary as the presenter at the country's fastest-growing national news program. But in Ramos' books, he shows a real reporter's ethos and drive to get out and get the story. This is a guy who can talk to heads of state one day, undocumented immigrants the next, and be equally at home with each group. The result here in 'Dying to Cross' is a compelling 'story behind the story' of "the worst immigrant tragedy in American history." Ramos also provides some forthright analysis. In addition to documenting the tragedy itself, he notably faults "the failed North American migrant policies, the permanent crisis of the Mexican economy and the incapacity of the Mexican and US governments to achieve a migratory agreement." I read the Spanish language version of the book (released as 'Morir en el Intento'). For those of us learning Spanish, Ramos' clean and direct prose and presentation is a beautiful thing. I highly recommend giving it a try.

Great book, amazing story

I heard the news about this tragedy on TV but never imagined all the details these poor people had to go through, and all they want to do is WORK As always, I like this author

A Harrowing Tale of Immigrants and "Coyotes": 4- stars

In May 2003, dozens of illegal immigrants who had recently crossed the Mexican border into the United States got into the nearly airtight back of a tractor trailer with the hope of reaching Houston. Many had second thoughts, but their desperation and their dependence on the "coyotes" who arranged for their transportation won out. Within minutes, the temperature inside the locked trailer soared, and the passengers inside knew they were in trouble. By the time the driver finally opened the doors, seventeen people, including a five-year old boy, were already dead and another two were dying. The survivors tumbled out into the hot Texas night. By the time the authorities had sorted things out, it was clear that at least seventy-four people had been crammed in the trailer without air conditioning or water. In this slender book about the tragedy, author Jorge Ramos reconstructs the events that led up to that night, as well as some of the legal proceedings that followed, including the guilty pleas of several of the coyotes. He interviews four of the surviving immigrants - Alberto, Enrique, Israel, and Jose - as well as the Mexican consul who handled the aftermath. He rounds out his account by including statements from police officers, lawyers, friends, and family members. Interestingly, Ramos makes an excellent case of how easy it is for immigrant to gain entry into the United States (the border crossings of all those interviewed were uneventful); the real peril for immigrants occurs within U.S. borders as they try to make their way toward cities and, ultimately, jobs. In his preface, Ramos states "my sole intention is to tell the story from the point of view of those who actually lived through it. Nothing more." This decision is ultimately the weakness of this book since the words of the four surviving immigrants are not insightful enough on their own. Ramos should have chosen to be a stronger voice for the victims by describing in more vivid detail the lives they left and the implications of both their flight and their survival. If, as he states in the preface, he wanted to make it clear that "severely flawed U.S. immigration policies . . . as well as dire economic and social conditions in Mexico" were in part to blame, then he should have drawn a more complete picture of the specifics to give this story context. He can't have it both ways - limiting his story to the perspective of the victims and then making a compelling socio-political statement. I found myself wishing that he had gone deeper, either into the characters and lives of the victims, or into the conditions that made them so desperate to find work in the United States. When Ramos takes the time to fully describe a moment, the narrative is powerful. He does an excellent job portraying the conditions, emotions, and physical decline of those trapped inside the truck, bringing a reality to what happened that the news reports at the time did not. I find it odd that he