Grueling journey to the States: La bestia rides through Central America

49 photos

Getty Images photographer John Moore explores the grueling journey of many Central American immigrants who are making their way to the United States in hopes of a better life.

Thousands of migrants ride atop the trains, known as “la bestia,” or the beast, during their long and perilous journey through Mexico to the U.S. border. Many of the immigrants are robbed or assaulted by gangs who control the train tops, while others fall asleep and tumble down, losing limbs or perishing under the wheels of the trains. Only a fraction of the immigrants who start the journey will arrive safely on their first attempt to illegally enter the United States. — Getty Images

RELATED
Faces of the Displaced: Portraits by John Moore of Getty Images