Aug 8, 2013

Getty Images photographer John Moore captured portraits of immigrants at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter in Ixtepec, Mexico. Many have hopes of coming to America for a better life or reuniting with loved ones.

Thousands of Central American migrants ride atop trains, known as ‘la bestia’, or the beast, during their long and perilous journey north through Mexico. Some of the immigrants are robbed and 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 in Central America will traverse Mexico completely unscathed – and all this before illegally entering the United States and facing the considerable U.S. border security apparatus designed to track, detain and deport them. — Getty Images

: Salvadorian immigrant Consuelo Miscuita, 42, and her daughter Wendy, 15, spend another night at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. Consuelo said before arriving to the shelter they were robbed of all their money by Mexican federal police. They have been staying at the Hermanos shelter for four months while awaiting Mexican immigration documents to allow them to safely travel to the U.S. border by bus. Once there, they plan to meet up with Wendy’s father, who is currently working in the northern state of Sonora, and then try to illegally cross together into the United States. The women are trying to avoid riding the freight trains, known as ‘la bestia’, or the beast, as thousands of other Central Americans do on their long and perilous journey north through Mexico. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Guatemalan immigrant Jorge Enrique, 33, spends an evening at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said he planned to ride a freight train later that night to continue his journey north to eventually cross into the United States in route to Tampa where he had previously worked as a house painter. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Guatemalan immigrant Carlos, 36, spends a night at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said he planned to ride a freight train north hours later to continue his journey to the U.S. border and eventually to the New Orleans area, where he had previously worked in construction. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Guatemalan immigrant Brian Alfredo, 18, spends a day at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said he planned to ride a freight train north later that night to continue his journey to the U.S. border and eventually to Los Angeles to find work as a carpenter. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Honduran immigrant Alfredo Hernandez, 21, spends a night at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said he planned to ride a freight train north that night to continue his journey to the U.S. border and eventually to Miami to find work, possibly as a taxi driver, which was his profession in Honduras. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Guatemalan immigrant Javier, 14, spends a day at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said he planned to ride a freight train north later that night to continue his journey to the U.S. border and eventually to New Jersey. He said he wants to find work as an electrician, which has has been doing in Guatemala since he quit school at age 10 to help support his family. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Cuban immigrant Diosvany, 40, spends another day at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said that he escaped from Cuba as a ‘balsero’, or boat person, on a crouded skiff to Honduras and then traveled overland through Central America to Mexico in his quest to reach the United States. He has been staying at the immigrant shelter in Ixtepec for months while waiting for Mexican immigration officials to issue him authorization to travel through the country legally and safely by bus to the U.S. Border, where Cuban citizens are given legal assylum as refugees into the United States. A former street vendor of vinegar and amateur magician in Cuba, he plans to live and work in New York City. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Nicaraguan immigrant Roberto Jose, 32, spends an evening at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said he planned to ride a freight train north later that night to continue his journey to the U.S. border and eventually to New Orleans to find work in his profession as an industrial machine operator. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Honduran immigrant Melvin, 16, spends a day at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said he planned to ride a freight train north later that night to continue his journey to the U.S. border and eventually to San Francisco to find whatever work he can. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Honduran transgender immigrant Daniela, 20, spends spends time at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. She has been staying at the shelter for more than a month while Mexican immigration authorities process documents to allow her to travel to the U.S. border via bus, a much safer alternative than riding the freight trains north, where women and transgender immigrants like Daniela are especially at risk of rape. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Honduran immigrant Jorge Vargas Aguilar, 18, spends a day at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said he planned to ride a freight train north later that night to continue his journey to the U.S. border and eventually to San Francisco to find whatever work he can. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Salvadorian immigrant Stefanie Elizabeth, 17, holds her daughter Emily Nicole, 18 months, while spending another night at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. They, along with Emily Nicole’s father Hector Manuel, 30, have been staying at the shelter for two months while awaiting Mexican immigration documents to allow them to safely travel to the U.S. border by bus, where they will try to illegally cross into the United States. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Nicaraguan immigrant Jose Luis Aleman, 25, spends an evening at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said he planned to ride a freight train later that night to continue his journey north to eventually cross the U.S. border to reach Houston, where he hopes to get work in his profession as a heavy machine operator. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Salvadorian immigrant Francisco, 45, rests for a few days at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. A 20 year undocumented resident of Los Angeles, where he worked as a mover and has a family, he was deported by U.S. immigration authorities to El Salvador last year. Two weeks ago he fell off a freight train while headed back towards the U.S. border and broke his leg. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Cuban immigrant Reudys Almaval Ortiz, 26, spends another day at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said had received Cuban government permission to fly to Ecuador for vacation, at which point he defected from Cuba and traveled overland through Central America to Mexico in his quest to reach the United States. He has been staying at the immigrant shelter in Ixtepec for a month while waiting for Mexican immigration officials to issue him authorization to travel through the country legally and safely by bus to the U.S. Border, where Cuban citizens are given legal assylum as refugees into the United States. He hopes to live in New York City and possibly find work as a bartender. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Salvadorian immigrant Carlos Josue, 18, spends a night at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said he planned to ride a freight train north that night to continue his journey to the U.S. border and eventually to Houston to find whatever work he can. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Genenis Yamileht, 20, from El Salvador, spends a night at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. She said she planned to ride a freight train north with her husband the next night as part of their journey to the U.S. border and eventually to Houston, Texas. She hopes to get employment as a domestic worker. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Cuban immigrant Victor David Moreno Granado, 26, spends the night at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said he escaped from Cuba as a ‘balsero’, or boat person, on a crowded skiff which landed in Honduras. He then traveled overland through Central America to Mexico in his quest to reach the United States. He has been staying at the immigrant shelter in Ixtepec for weeks while waiting for Mexican immigration officials to issue him authorization to travel through the country legally and safely by bus to the U.S. Border, where Cuban citizens are given legal assylum as refugees into the United States. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Cuban immigrant Joel Loace Chavez, 33, spends the night at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He had received Cuban government permission to fly to Ecuador for vacation, at which point he defected from Cuba and traveled overland through Central America to Mexico in his quest to reach the United States. He has been staying at the immigrant shelter in Ixtepec for weeks while waiting for Mexican immigration officials to issue him authorization to travel through the country legally and safely by bus to the U.S. Border, where Cuban citizens are given legal assylum as refugees into the United States. Formerly working in horticulture in Cuba, he plans to live and work in New York City. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Honduran immigrant Dulce Maria Varela, 19, spends a day at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. She said she planned to ride a freight train north that evening to continue her journey to the U.S. border and her first attempt to enter the United States illegally. Having dropped out of school as a youth, she is illiterate, but hopes to work a a waitress if she arrives to America. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Honduran immigrant Delris Siomara, 21, and her husband Rolando, 27, from Cuba spend a night at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. They said they planned to ride a freight train north the next night as part of their journey to the U.S. border and eventually to Miami, Florida. She hopes to enter college, and he hopes to work as a mechanic. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Genenis Yamileht, 20, and her husband Jose Natanael, 25, from El Salvador, spend a night at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. They said they planned to ride a freight train north the next night as part of their journey to the U.S. border and eventually to Houston, Texas., where he previously worked for 8 years. She said she is pregnant but hopes to get employment as a domestic worker, and he as a carpenter. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Honduran immigrant Ruben, 43, spends a day at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He had previously worked in Orlando, Florida as a construction worker. He said that when he had saved enough money five years ago, he returned voluntarily to Honduras and was assaulted and robbed of all his savings, also suffering a serious injury to his right eye. Now, again journeying to the U.S, he said he planned to ride a freight train north to the U.S. border and eventually return to Orlando. (John Moore/Getty Images)

: Guatemalan immigrant Brian, 16, spends an evening at the Hermanos en el Camino immigrant shelter on August 5, 2013 in Ixtepec, Mexico. He said he planned to ride a freight train with friends later that night to continue his journey north to cross the U.S. border and eventually reach Los Angeles. He said he had dropped out of school at age 12 to work in a taco shop to help feed his family. (John Moore/Getty Images)

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

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