The migrants Trump forced Mexico to stop: Ada Trillo's best photograph
Interview by Amy Fleming
Wed 20 Jan 2021 10.57 EST
The migrants Trump forced Mexico to stop: Ada Trillo's best photograph
‘Previously, migrants had been allowed to traverse the length of Mexico’ … Second Leg of the Suchiate River, from the series La Caravana Del Diablo. Photograph: Ada Trillo
‘Trump had threatened Mexico with tariffs if it let in this caravan from Honduras. Two hours after crossing this river, many were teargassed then deported’
. . .
I had been following a migrant caravan north from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, for around 10 days. It was 23 January 2020, and this was the moment the group crossed the Suchiate river, which divides Guatemala from Mexico.
The Mexican authorities had deployed the national guard to stop the caravan entering their country because Trump had threatened to increase tariffs on Mexican goods coming into the United States if they let migrants in. Previously, migrants had been allowed to traverse the length of Mexico with no problem.
In this picture, you don’t know yet what’s going to happen to them, so you have a sense of hope that they’re going to make it. Because I mostly shoot in Mexico and Central America, where the colours are really loud, I only make black-and-white images. There might be a pink or bright yellow blanket and sometimes the eye will focus on the colour, and not on the eyes of the people. I want viewers to really look into their eyes.
There were about 800 in this group – another group had split off and crossed further north. I was able to document both. The night before this crossing, we slept in a field and started getting ready to go at four in the morning. I slept on some cardboard with my poncho over me. Many of us hadn’t eaten or showered for days.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/jan/20/trump-migrants-mexico-honduras-teargassed-deported-ada-trillo-best-photograph
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‘Trump had threatened Mexico with tariffs if it let in this caravan from Honduras. Two hours after crossing this river, many were teargassed then deported’
