1 00:00:07,363 --> 00:00:11,576 [♪ ominous music] 2 00:00:11,576 --> 00:00:12,910 [Mariana Van Zeller] There are hundreds of people here. 3 00:00:12,910 --> 00:00:13,828 Everywhere you look. 4 00:00:14,078 --> 00:00:15,621 You just see groups of people waiting. 5 00:00:15,621 --> 00:00:17,665 They're sitting with backpack. 6 00:00:17,665 --> 00:00:20,209 This was me, nearly 20 years ago 7 00:00:20,209 --> 00:00:23,379 on one of my first international assignments. 8 00:00:23,379 --> 00:00:26,549 [speaking Spanish] Maria! I don't believe it! 9 00:00:26,549 --> 00:00:28,259 How good. How are you? 10 00:00:30,553 --> 00:00:31,721 [speaking Spanish]. 11 00:00:32,054 --> 00:00:33,639 [Mariana Van Zeller] I was doing a story about migrants 12 00:00:33,639 --> 00:00:36,183 trying to make their way across Mexico and into 13 00:00:36,183 --> 00:00:38,102 the United States. 14 00:00:38,102 --> 00:00:41,314 The starting point for that journey was Tapachula. 15 00:00:41,689 --> 00:00:44,442 A chaotic little town on Mexico's southern border, 16 00:00:44,442 --> 00:00:47,612 where migrants hopped on board "La Bestia." 17 00:00:51,699 --> 00:00:54,702 La Bestia, or "The Beast," is what migrants called the 18 00:00:54,702 --> 00:00:58,622 dangerous freight trains they rode north for days on end. 19 00:00:58,622 --> 00:01:00,166 The train keeps on jerking. 20 00:01:00,166 --> 00:01:02,168 So, you, you have to keep a constant grip on the train, 21 00:01:02,168 --> 00:01:03,544 and it's hard. 22 00:01:03,794 --> 00:01:07,298 Back then, all you needed to reach the border was courage. 23 00:01:07,590 --> 00:01:11,510 These days, I'm told you need a whole lot more. 24 00:01:16,724 --> 00:01:18,809 Wow, this is so crazy. 25 00:01:18,809 --> 00:01:20,519 This looks nothing like it used to. 26 00:01:20,519 --> 00:01:22,396 This was the main train station, so you'd have 27 00:01:22,396 --> 00:01:24,899 hundreds of migrants here every single day, basically 28 00:01:24,899 --> 00:01:27,360 just hoping to get on the train to go north. 29 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:30,488 The train tracks are no longer here, but the migrants, 30 00:01:30,488 --> 00:01:31,822 they still keep coming. 31 00:01:31,822 --> 00:01:33,658 They have to come through this, this area. 32 00:01:33,658 --> 00:01:36,118 Tapachula is still the first stop in Mexico for 33 00:01:36,118 --> 00:01:38,287 thousands of migrants, 34 00:01:38,287 --> 00:01:40,790 but the path north to the U.S. is now controlled 35 00:01:40,790 --> 00:01:43,793 by a violent criminal underworld. 36 00:01:44,085 --> 00:01:46,295 There's a new beast in town. 37 00:01:47,546 --> 00:01:49,507 [gunshots] 38 00:01:49,507 --> 00:01:52,676 [shouting] 39 00:01:53,094 --> 00:01:55,638 [Mariana Van Zeller] That's why I've come back. 40 00:01:56,597 --> 00:02:00,184 To try to get inside the most profitable migrant smuggling 41 00:02:00,184 --> 00:02:03,687 machine the world has ever seen. 42 00:02:19,912 --> 00:02:23,165 [theme music plays] 43 00:02:33,092 --> 00:02:36,387 [Mariana Van Zeller] So, this is the central square in Tapachula. 44 00:02:36,387 --> 00:02:38,472 The vast majority of the people that line up, 45 00:02:38,472 --> 00:02:41,559 that are around here at the square, are migrants. 46 00:02:41,559 --> 00:02:45,604 They all have backpacks, they have bags. 47 00:02:46,397 --> 00:02:49,150 There are so many, it's crazy. 48 00:03:30,774 --> 00:03:32,568 [Mariana Van Zeller] Years ago, migrants like these would 49 00:03:32,568 --> 00:03:35,946 hop ride on the train and continue north. 50 00:03:35,946 --> 00:03:39,158 But free rides are apparently no longer an option. 51 00:03:42,244 --> 00:03:43,621 [Mariana Van Zeller] But what happens to the migrants 52 00:03:43,621 --> 00:03:45,372 who do have money? 53 00:03:45,372 --> 00:03:47,958 What exactly are they buying into? 54 00:03:47,958 --> 00:03:50,628 That's what I want to understand, 55 00:03:51,420 --> 00:03:53,297 which is why I'm heading to meet a man 56 00:03:53,297 --> 00:03:55,549 I'm told is one of the key players 57 00:03:55,549 --> 00:03:58,719 in this new people-smuggling pipeline. 58 00:03:58,719 --> 00:04:01,430 I've been hearing about this guy for over a year now. 59 00:04:01,430 --> 00:04:02,932 There were a lot of times where we thought we were gonna 60 00:04:02,932 --> 00:04:05,184 finally meet him, a lot of false starts. 61 00:04:05,184 --> 00:04:08,187 It never happened until, hopefully, today. 62 00:04:08,187 --> 00:04:11,398 This is a big boss in this sort of operation. 63 00:04:14,860 --> 00:04:16,612 [dog barking] 64 00:04:19,490 --> 00:04:22,535 [Mariana Van Zeller] I think we're here. 65 00:04:23,202 --> 00:04:25,830 Let me know if you guys see anyone. 66 00:04:30,459 --> 00:04:32,336 Oh, yeah. Okay. I see him. 67 00:04:32,336 --> 00:04:34,713 I think that's him, yeah. 68 00:05:35,065 --> 00:05:37,026 [Mariana Van Zeller] We're calling him Jose, but his 69 00:05:37,026 --> 00:05:40,279 nickname on the street is "King Coyote", 70 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:43,365 coyote being slang for a migrant smuggler. 71 00:05:43,824 --> 00:05:47,536 He works mostly with migrants from South and Central America, 72 00:05:47,536 --> 00:05:50,956 but has clients from as far away as India. 73 00:05:54,835 --> 00:05:55,711 [Mariana Van Zeller] Uh-huh. 74 00:06:40,297 --> 00:06:41,840 [Mariana Van Zeller] I've been reporting on the underworld 75 00:06:41,840 --> 00:06:43,801 for nearly two decades. 76 00:06:43,801 --> 00:06:46,845 This is the first time a black market operator has 77 00:06:46,845 --> 00:06:49,640 referred me to their finance department. 78 00:07:36,687 --> 00:07:38,605 [Mariana Van Zeller] I was certain that no one is making 79 00:07:38,605 --> 00:07:42,109 that kind of money smuggling anything in Mexico without, 80 00:07:42,109 --> 00:07:44,987 what you might call, "permission." 81 00:08:17,144 --> 00:08:18,479 [Mariana Van Zeller] Wow. 82 00:08:32,910 --> 00:08:34,453 [Mariana Van Zeller] From the cartels' perspective, 83 00:08:34,453 --> 00:08:37,664 I understand the logic of this new system. 84 00:08:37,664 --> 00:08:40,542 By allowing these transport companies to exist, 85 00:08:40,542 --> 00:08:43,378 it professionalized the business of people smuggling, 86 00:08:43,378 --> 00:08:47,007 making it more efficient and more lucrative. 87 00:09:33,136 --> 00:09:35,097 [Mariana Van Zeller] I had my doubts about the rosy picture 88 00:09:35,097 --> 00:09:39,184 he's painting of his operation, but I'm eager to learn more. 89 00:09:39,184 --> 00:09:42,354 And he agrees to connect me with one of his smugglers. 90 00:09:42,354 --> 00:09:44,940 A man responsible for transporting migrants from 91 00:09:44,940 --> 00:09:48,443 Tapachula, north towards Mexico city. 92 00:09:49,111 --> 00:09:51,405 We're heading to meet this contact and he's been 93 00:09:51,405 --> 00:09:53,657 incredibly nervous to talk to us. 94 00:09:53,657 --> 00:09:56,618 And he's very suspicious still, so we just, 95 00:09:56,618 --> 00:09:58,704 for all of our sake, just, you know, 96 00:09:58,704 --> 00:10:01,999 make him feel as comfortable as possible. 97 00:10:02,833 --> 00:10:03,959 I see him over there. 98 00:10:04,334 --> 00:10:06,753 So, just put the cameras down for a second and we can 99 00:10:06,753 --> 00:10:08,922 pick back up when he's inside the car. 100 00:10:08,922 --> 00:10:11,216 Camera down. 101 00:10:11,216 --> 00:10:13,719 Sure enough, he doesn't want to talk. 102 00:10:13,719 --> 00:10:16,763 I have to practically beg him to get into the car. 103 00:10:16,763 --> 00:10:19,433 But he finally does. 104 00:10:22,144 --> 00:10:25,898 I'm eager to hear what it's like on the frontlines 105 00:10:25,898 --> 00:10:27,733 of the people smuggling business. 106 00:10:34,823 --> 00:10:38,410 [♪ mysterious music] 107 00:10:50,172 --> 00:10:52,507 [Mariana Van Zeller] This man, who we'll call Ernesto, 108 00:10:52,507 --> 00:10:55,052 is part of a new breed of transport company 109 00:10:55,052 --> 00:10:58,180 making millions shuttling migrants across Mexico 110 00:10:58,180 --> 00:11:00,140 and into to the U.S. 111 00:11:12,402 --> 00:11:14,112 [Mariana Van Zeller] From there, he drives them north 112 00:11:14,112 --> 00:11:15,238 towards Mexico City. 113 00:11:43,809 --> 00:11:45,519 [Mariana Van Zeller] It's a bit shocking. 114 00:11:45,519 --> 00:11:48,230 His boss, King Coyote, told me they charge 115 00:11:48,230 --> 00:11:49,940 12 grand per person, 116 00:11:49,940 --> 00:11:53,568 which seems like a lot for such inhumane treatment. 117 00:12:19,094 --> 00:12:20,846 [Mariana Van Zeller] Like his boss, he's quick to 118 00:12:20,846 --> 00:12:22,264 justify their approach. 119 00:12:52,085 --> 00:12:54,171 [Mariana Van Zeller] I'm doubtful about that, but 120 00:12:54,171 --> 00:12:57,090 I don't press him because I want to keep him talking. 121 00:14:20,423 --> 00:14:22,008 [Mariana Van Zeller] This description of the cartels' 122 00:14:22,008 --> 00:14:23,927 involvement sounds more threatening than 123 00:14:23,927 --> 00:14:25,971 King Coyote's version. 124 00:14:25,971 --> 00:14:27,973 I want to hear more, 125 00:14:27,973 --> 00:14:31,351 but I think talk of the cartels has spooked him. 126 00:14:31,351 --> 00:14:35,355 He cuts our interview short, after less than 20 minutes. 127 00:14:37,065 --> 00:14:39,693 Okay, so we just dropped off Ernesto. 128 00:14:39,693 --> 00:14:42,195 The interesting thing that we weren't able to film is that 129 00:14:42,195 --> 00:14:44,114 his wife was actually in the back seat 130 00:14:44,114 --> 00:14:45,699 in-between the two cameras. 131 00:14:45,699 --> 00:14:47,409 Apparently, they discussed and the only way that he'd feel 132 00:14:47,409 --> 00:14:50,453 comfortable talking to us was if she was present, as well. 133 00:14:50,453 --> 00:14:52,873 So, that was interesting. 134 00:14:56,710 --> 00:14:59,129 These are the trucks that he says they actually 135 00:14:59,129 --> 00:15:01,214 transport people in. 136 00:15:01,214 --> 00:15:03,592 That's exactly it. 137 00:15:03,592 --> 00:15:05,427 You know, it's really hard with these interviews, 138 00:15:05,427 --> 00:15:07,262 we were trying to make him comfortable, but it's always 139 00:15:07,262 --> 00:15:11,099 sort of a balance of how much you push and pushing too much 140 00:15:11,099 --> 00:15:12,976 will mean we'll lose access. 141 00:15:12,976 --> 00:15:14,769 So, we're hoping that we can ask more questions and see 142 00:15:14,769 --> 00:15:18,648 more of the operation in the following days. 143 00:15:23,028 --> 00:15:27,324 But more access to King Coyote's operation never arrives. 144 00:15:28,491 --> 00:15:32,287 So, we're stuck chasing access to other people-smugglers. 145 00:15:32,287 --> 00:15:35,916 Some with a very different pitch to migrants. 146 00:15:36,208 --> 00:15:38,293 We're heading to meet a guy, 147 00:15:38,293 --> 00:15:41,880 sort of involved in the migrant trade. 148 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:43,506 There's a boat apparently waiting for us 149 00:15:43,506 --> 00:15:45,133 to take us to him. 150 00:15:45,133 --> 00:15:47,969 And they just told us to, you know, have our eyes wide open, 151 00:15:47,969 --> 00:15:50,931 ears wide open in this area because there is a lot of 152 00:15:50,931 --> 00:15:53,141 cartel presence here. 153 00:15:56,436 --> 00:16:02,442 [engine rumbling] 154 00:16:09,407 --> 00:16:11,910 Okay. I see. Yeah. 155 00:16:11,910 --> 00:16:15,163 There's a boat coming this way. 156 00:16:17,624 --> 00:16:20,877 He's, uh, yeah, he's coming right towards us. 157 00:16:23,463 --> 00:16:27,259 Yeah, so he's, uh, our guy is the guy wearing the mask and 158 00:16:27,259 --> 00:16:30,178 there's a bunch of people on the boat. 159 00:16:35,517 --> 00:16:36,643 [Mariana Van Zeller] It's a little awkward, 160 00:16:36,643 --> 00:16:38,311 he's not saying anything. 161 00:16:38,311 --> 00:16:40,939 From the looks of things, we're wading right into the 162 00:16:40,939 --> 00:16:43,441 middle of his business. 163 00:16:46,236 --> 00:16:50,657 [boat engine idling] 164 00:16:56,454 --> 00:16:58,415 [Mariana Van Zeller] I'm in Southern Mexico talking to a 165 00:16:58,415 --> 00:17:01,418 smuggler who's asked us to call him Pantera. 166 00:17:43,543 --> 00:17:45,920 [Mariana Van Zeller] Despite the cartels being paid off, 167 00:17:45,920 --> 00:17:49,883 these boats must run a gauntlet of armed opportunists. 168 00:18:07,525 --> 00:18:08,068 [Pantera] Uh-hmm. 169 00:19:36,781 --> 00:19:38,032 [Mariana Van Zeller] Her entire life's savings, 170 00:19:38,032 --> 00:19:40,660 spent on a gamble, 171 00:19:40,660 --> 00:19:43,621 that this little boat will make it to its destination. 172 00:20:02,098 --> 00:20:04,100 [Mariana Van Zeller] Just like those who travel by road, the 173 00:20:04,100 --> 00:20:06,936 boat will take these migrants north before they are shuttled 174 00:20:06,936 --> 00:20:09,022 to Mexico City. 175 00:20:09,022 --> 00:20:12,025 From there, they are stuffed like any other product into 176 00:20:12,025 --> 00:20:15,278 18-wheelers, for a drive to the U.S. border 177 00:20:15,278 --> 00:20:17,113 that could take up to two days. 178 00:20:17,113 --> 00:20:19,491 It's a leg of the journey that has become synonymous 179 00:20:19,491 --> 00:20:21,284 with tragedy. 180 00:20:21,659 --> 00:20:24,120 [CNN Reporter] They have found 50 migrants dead inside a 181 00:20:24,120 --> 00:20:28,124 truck in San Antonio, what they now believe to be one of 182 00:20:28,124 --> 00:20:31,669 the deadliest smuggling incidents in U.S. history. 183 00:20:31,669 --> 00:20:33,254 [Mariana Van Zeller] These migrants sell everything they 184 00:20:33,254 --> 00:20:36,841 own for the chance to make it to the U.S., and this is how 185 00:20:36,841 --> 00:20:39,260 they're treated along the way. 186 00:21:34,232 --> 00:21:37,819 [speaking Spanish]. 187 00:21:37,819 --> 00:21:38,987 [Mariana Van Zeller] Uh-hm okay, they're saying they have to go, 188 00:21:38,987 --> 00:21:40,280 because the sun is going down. 189 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:41,447 They have to start their journey. 190 00:21:48,746 --> 00:21:50,290 [Mariana Van Zeller] What's becoming clear is that the 191 00:21:50,290 --> 00:21:53,251 people doing the actual work of smuggling migrants, 192 00:21:53,251 --> 00:21:56,713 people like Pantera and the transporter I met in the car, 193 00:21:56,713 --> 00:22:00,633 know the details of their job, but not much more. 194 00:22:00,633 --> 00:22:03,761 It's only bosses like King Coyote that are familiar 195 00:22:03,761 --> 00:22:07,307 with the actual terms of this ugly business. 196 00:22:29,078 --> 00:22:31,039 [Mariana Van Zeller] Thinking back to our conversation, 197 00:22:31,039 --> 00:22:33,541 what's still unclear is this, 198 00:22:33,541 --> 00:22:35,835 even if companies like King Coyote's, 199 00:22:35,835 --> 00:22:38,171 have learned how to work with the cartels, 200 00:22:38,171 --> 00:22:41,174 how could they possibly move thousands of migrants 201 00:22:41,174 --> 00:22:43,134 past so many police? 202 00:22:55,438 --> 00:22:57,690 [Mariana Van Zeller] So this guy we're meeting is very nervous. 203 00:22:57,690 --> 00:23:01,110 We were supposed to meet him at a train station. 204 00:23:01,110 --> 00:23:03,696 He's moved locations on us a few times already. 205 00:23:03,696 --> 00:23:06,074 And it's understandable why he's nervous. 206 00:23:06,074 --> 00:23:07,659 He's essentially a whistleblower who's going to be 207 00:23:07,659 --> 00:23:11,245 talking to us about corruption within the government. 208 00:24:15,309 --> 00:24:17,061 [Mariana Van Zeller] I'm talking to a federal immigration agent 209 00:24:17,061 --> 00:24:20,022 turned whistleblower, who we'll call Miguel. 210 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,651 He says it works like this, on every route north, 211 00:24:23,651 --> 00:24:25,903 there are dozens of checkpoints. 212 00:24:25,903 --> 00:24:28,531 Migrants who have hired a cartel-approved company like 213 00:24:28,531 --> 00:24:31,159 King Coyote's, are able to pass through 214 00:24:31,159 --> 00:24:33,619 without getting hassled. 215 00:24:33,619 --> 00:24:36,664 That's part of what their $12,000 ensures. 216 00:25:03,149 --> 00:25:04,692 [Mariana Van Zeller] On the other hand, migrants 217 00:25:04,692 --> 00:25:07,278 attempting the journey on their own, like the Venezuelan 218 00:25:07,278 --> 00:25:11,282 family I met in Tapachula, are forced to pay small bribes at 219 00:25:11,282 --> 00:25:13,910 every checkpoint along the way. 220 00:25:25,505 --> 00:25:27,507 [Mariana Van Zeller] It's a system designed to maximize 221 00:25:27,507 --> 00:25:31,552 the exploitation of desperate people, while simultaneously 222 00:25:31,552 --> 00:25:36,265 enriching both the cartels and corrupt government officials. 223 00:25:47,235 --> 00:25:48,945 [Mariana Van Zeller] Sadly, this sort of collusion 224 00:25:48,945 --> 00:25:52,615 between the cartels and the Mexican State isn't new. 225 00:25:52,990 --> 00:25:55,535 [Reporter] Caught on tape, Mexican police apparently 226 00:25:55,535 --> 00:25:57,662 carrying out orders for gangsters. 227 00:25:57,954 --> 00:25:59,247 [Mariana Van Zeller] It's been a problem in Mexico 228 00:25:59,247 --> 00:26:00,665 for decades now. 229 00:26:00,665 --> 00:26:02,917 So much so, that just this year, 230 00:26:02,917 --> 00:26:05,128 Mexico's former head of public security 231 00:26:05,128 --> 00:26:08,548 was found guilty of drug trafficking. 232 00:26:08,548 --> 00:26:11,425 This is the type of power that the cartels wield 233 00:26:11,425 --> 00:26:12,802 throughout the country. 234 00:27:28,878 --> 00:27:29,712 [Mariana Van Zeller] Uh-hmm. 235 00:28:26,143 --> 00:28:27,728 [Mariana Van Zeller] The immigration officer's 236 00:28:27,728 --> 00:28:31,941 accusations hang in the air as I head towards the border. 237 00:28:32,358 --> 00:28:34,527 The stories the Venezuelans told me 238 00:28:34,527 --> 00:28:36,570 suddenly make much more sense. 239 00:28:59,927 --> 00:29:02,471 [Mariana Van Zeller] I've kept in touch with the Venezuelans. 240 00:29:02,471 --> 00:29:04,765 And the last I've heard, they were able to slip past the 241 00:29:04,765 --> 00:29:08,728 authorities and hitch a ride north on one of the trains. 242 00:29:09,270 --> 00:29:12,440 Riding La Bestia is apparently still an option, 243 00:29:12,440 --> 00:29:14,316 but much less common. 244 00:29:14,316 --> 00:29:17,153 Which makes sense, considering all the vested interests 245 00:29:17,153 --> 00:29:18,821 in the new system. 246 00:29:41,802 --> 00:29:43,888 [Mariana Van Zeller] After almost two weeks on the road, 247 00:29:43,888 --> 00:29:46,891 I finally arrived at Mexico's northern border. 248 00:30:00,529 --> 00:30:03,407 It's the last leg of the journey and we've gained access 249 00:30:03,407 --> 00:30:06,077 to yet another transport company, 250 00:30:06,077 --> 00:30:08,788 run by a rival of King Coyote's, 251 00:30:08,788 --> 00:30:12,041 a man who calls himself Zorro. 252 00:30:12,041 --> 00:30:13,584 So, we got a call from Zorro. 253 00:30:13,584 --> 00:30:16,045 Apparently, there's a group of a few migrants 254 00:30:16,045 --> 00:30:17,922 that have just arrived. 255 00:30:17,922 --> 00:30:20,382 They're going to cross to the U.S. soon. 256 00:30:20,382 --> 00:30:23,761 And he's given us this address for this stash house where the 257 00:30:23,761 --> 00:30:26,806 migrants are staying before they cross the border 258 00:30:30,643 --> 00:30:34,146 [speaking Spanish]. 259 00:30:34,146 --> 00:30:35,356 [Mariana Van Zeller] Okay. Around the corner. 260 00:30:35,356 --> 00:30:36,732 It's around the corner from here. Okay. 261 00:30:36,732 --> 00:30:37,775 [Man] Walkie-talkies down. 262 00:30:38,109 --> 00:30:39,443 [Mariana Van Zeller] Walkie-talkies and cameras down. 263 00:30:39,443 --> 00:30:40,444 [Man] And camera down. Let's do it quickly. 264 00:30:40,736 --> 00:30:42,071 [Mariana Van Zeller] Yeah. So get out? Okay. 265 00:30:42,071 --> 00:30:44,031 So they're saying right now. 266 00:30:46,700 --> 00:30:51,747 [distant sirens] 267 00:30:54,125 --> 00:30:58,337 [speaking Spanish]. 268 00:31:03,926 --> 00:31:10,516 [♪ dramatic music] 269 00:32:11,076 --> 00:32:12,620 [Mariana Van Zeller] We're witnessing one of the last 270 00:32:12,620 --> 00:32:15,706 hurdles for migrants on this side of the border, 271 00:32:15,706 --> 00:32:18,667 the final payment before crossing, 272 00:32:18,667 --> 00:32:20,878 which is split between the transport company 273 00:32:20,878 --> 00:32:22,421 and the cartel. 274 00:33:07,424 --> 00:33:08,092 [Mariana Van Zeller] Uh-hmm. 275 00:34:18,454 --> 00:34:20,205 [Mariana Van Zeller] Um... 276 00:34:21,457 --> 00:34:23,625 He says he's going to make a phone call to his family, 277 00:34:23,625 --> 00:34:26,170 because he's the only one who hasn't paid yet. 278 00:34:26,170 --> 00:34:30,132 And, uh, he wants to ask them when the money is coming in. 279 00:35:47,543 --> 00:35:50,462 [Mariana Van Zeller] The subtext of that last bit was chilling, 280 00:35:50,462 --> 00:35:52,923 but also easy to miss, 281 00:35:52,923 --> 00:35:57,428 "I want my brother here. We want him here with family." 282 00:35:57,428 --> 00:36:00,431 In other words, please don't hurt him. 283 00:37:19,176 --> 00:37:21,428 [Mariana Van Zeller] I'm in a stash house in northern Mexico, 284 00:37:21,428 --> 00:37:23,347 not far from the border, 285 00:37:23,347 --> 00:37:25,933 where migrants are held captive until 286 00:37:25,933 --> 00:37:28,143 their payment is delivered. 287 00:38:13,814 --> 00:38:16,066 [Mariana Van Zeller] We depart. 288 00:38:16,066 --> 00:38:19,194 According to King Coyote, these sorts of confrontations 289 00:38:19,194 --> 00:38:22,072 are common on both sides of the border. 290 00:39:18,086 --> 00:39:20,255 [Mariana Van Zeller] Despite the thinly veiled threats, 291 00:39:20,255 --> 00:39:23,717 I'm told that later that evening Angel's sister came through 292 00:39:23,717 --> 00:39:25,427 with the money. 293 00:39:25,427 --> 00:39:28,430 He'll be crossing with the others in the coming days. 294 00:39:29,348 --> 00:39:33,060 [speaking Spanish]. 295 00:39:33,602 --> 00:39:35,020 [Mariana Van Zeller] The next morning, I meet up 296 00:39:35,020 --> 00:39:36,730 with Zorro again. 297 00:39:36,730 --> 00:39:39,483 He's transporting a different group across the border; 298 00:39:39,483 --> 00:39:42,986 migrants who've already paid their part. 299 00:39:45,238 --> 00:39:48,367 Super tight quarters here, we have a driver. 300 00:39:48,367 --> 00:39:51,870 Zorro sitting next to me here too in the front row. 301 00:39:51,870 --> 00:39:55,457 And then four migrants are in the back of the truck. 302 00:39:55,457 --> 00:39:58,210 Uh, we are heading to the drop off point, it's about 303 00:39:58,210 --> 00:40:01,338 a 20-minute drive, where everyone will get out of the 304 00:40:01,338 --> 00:40:04,716 car and the journey across the desert starts for them. 305 00:40:23,819 --> 00:40:25,320 [Mariana Van Zeller] The migrants slip through a 306 00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:28,657 rickety barbed wire fence and begin walking. 307 00:40:31,034 --> 00:40:34,329 But once they cross, they'll face another one to three days 308 00:40:34,329 --> 00:40:37,666 of hiking through the Sonoran desert, until they reach 309 00:40:37,666 --> 00:40:39,918 their pickup location. 310 00:41:26,381 --> 00:41:31,052 [sirens] 311 00:41:32,137 --> 00:41:34,181 [dog barking] 312 00:41:34,181 --> 00:41:35,807 [Mariana Van Zeller] As for what happens to migrants on 313 00:41:35,807 --> 00:41:37,851 the other side of the border. 314 00:41:37,851 --> 00:41:39,978 You don't have to look too hard. 315 00:41:42,773 --> 00:41:45,984 Even TikTok provides clues. 316 00:41:46,735 --> 00:41:48,904 Black market transport companies post ads 317 00:41:48,904 --> 00:41:50,822 recruiting drivers. 318 00:41:51,364 --> 00:41:54,326 They're looking for Americans willing to shuttle migrants 319 00:41:54,326 --> 00:41:57,037 from the border into urban centers, 320 00:41:57,037 --> 00:41:59,247 where they can effectively disappear. 321 00:42:00,165 --> 00:42:02,959 Drivers make thousands of dollars per trip, 322 00:42:02,959 --> 00:42:06,004 if they can make it past U.S. Law enforcement. 323 00:42:07,964 --> 00:42:10,217 [Cop] What we're trying to do is position ourselves 324 00:42:10,217 --> 00:42:11,802 at choke points. 325 00:42:11,802 --> 00:42:14,596 I'm, uh, right here at Pearce and 191. 326 00:42:15,931 --> 00:42:18,433 Where we believe that they're going to have to come through 327 00:42:18,433 --> 00:42:22,312 us in order to get to their final destination. 328 00:42:22,604 --> 00:42:23,605 [Mariana Van Zeller] We spent one night with the 329 00:42:23,855 --> 00:42:26,608 Cochise County, Arizona sheriff's department. 330 00:42:26,608 --> 00:42:29,694 And witnessed the chaos firsthand. 331 00:42:29,694 --> 00:42:33,573 [Cop] He's gonna run. We are northbound. 332 00:42:34,825 --> 00:42:38,078 [sirens] 333 00:42:38,078 --> 00:42:41,414 Driver, step out of the vehicle and face away from me! 334 00:42:42,582 --> 00:42:44,376 Be advised, as soon as I activated my lights, 335 00:42:44,376 --> 00:42:46,545 the vehicle is not stopping. 336 00:42:50,715 --> 00:42:54,344 Driver, stick your hands out the window! 337 00:42:54,344 --> 00:42:56,054 Put your hands behind your back. 338 00:42:56,054 --> 00:42:58,056 How many more do you got inside the car? 339 00:43:00,976 --> 00:43:02,769 [Mariana Van Zeller] These arrests may seem like a win 340 00:43:02,769 --> 00:43:04,312 for law enforcement. 341 00:43:04,312 --> 00:43:05,522 [Cop] You have the right to remain silent. 342 00:43:05,814 --> 00:43:07,107 Anything that you say can and will be used against you 343 00:43:07,107 --> 00:43:08,150 in the court of law. 344 00:43:08,733 --> 00:43:10,235 You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have them present... 345 00:43:10,235 --> 00:43:12,112 [Mariana Van Zeller] But the reality is that each year, 346 00:43:12,112 --> 00:43:14,281 thousands of migrants get through. 347 00:43:14,281 --> 00:43:17,450 And the ones who don't will often try again. 348 00:43:20,620 --> 00:43:22,205 In a nutshell, 349 00:43:22,205 --> 00:43:25,417 that's why the people-smuggling business is booming. 350 00:43:26,459 --> 00:43:30,005 Because for the world's most vulnerable people, 351 00:43:30,005 --> 00:43:32,257 the dream of living in America 352 00:43:32,257 --> 00:43:36,178 is only available on the black market. 353 00:43:40,807 --> 00:43:42,309 In case you're wondering, 354 00:43:42,309 --> 00:43:44,186 the Venezuelan migrants I spoke with 355 00:43:44,186 --> 00:43:47,564 crossed the border in May of 2023, 356 00:43:47,564 --> 00:43:50,984 after an eight-month journey through seven countries. 357 00:43:52,277 --> 00:43:54,613 They surrendered to authorities in Texas and 358 00:43:54,613 --> 00:43:56,239 are currently living in the U.S. 359 00:43:56,239 --> 00:43:58,992 And awaiting an asylum hearing, along with nearly 360 00:43:58,992 --> 00:44:02,412 1.6 million others. 361 00:44:02,412 --> 00:44:03,830 Captioned by Cotter Media Group.