My First Week in the USA

Crossing the river took

            approximately one hour.

Then I arrived at immigration.

            We were looking for them

But they found us first.

*

They took 9 of us in some cars

            to the hielera.

The night passed.

            We had no food.

            Nothing.

In the morning they gave us

            bread with cold butter.

My daughter did not eat.

            Nothing.

            Nada.

*

It was very cold there.

            Also

There were many many mothers and children.

There was barely enough room

            for all the people

they stopped and brought to this place.

We were there day and night

            for three days.

*

Then I had an interview.

            It was four in the afternoon.

That same day

            they put us on a bus with barbed wire.

And they brought us to a place called

            la perrera.

            The dog kennel.

*

It was much better than the hielera.

They gave us better food.

            We had water instead of juice.

They gave us pads to sleep on.

They took several of us each hour

            to make phone calls home.

Calling home made things much better.

I was there two days.

            Then they brought us to family detention.

                                    Mother 10-26-16 My First 7 Days in the USA