Headlines move so fast. We hear about migration all the time. Shocking stories of ICE patrols, border crossings, asylum claims, and deportations. We rarely hear about what happens to the real people along the way. Names are lost in the numbers, people disappear under the policies.
For many, the journey doesn't begin or end at a border. It stretches across years, across countries, and across systems. People are surviving in the in-between space, unable to return to the countries they fled and unable to move forward.
So, they wait. In hotels. In detention centers. In shelters.
Longing to be settled and find "home."
We are launching a new video series, Between Borders, to tell these stories of migration, deportation, and survival. It follows people navigating migration: why they left, what they are hoping for, and what happens as they try to build lives in that in-between space.
At Quixote Center, as we work for more just immigration policies, we refuse to let these stories remain invisible. We want to make sure that when policy is debated, people are not reduced to abstract numbers.
This work is made possible by our partners on the ground, including Red Franciscana para Migrantes (RFM) in Panama and La 72, Hogar-Refugio para Personas Migrantes in Mexico, who provide shelter, accompaniment, and care for people on this journey.
We will be sharing new stories from Between Borders on Wednesdays.
We are deeply grateful for those who have entrusted us to tell their stories...
The first story is Melona's.
Melona fled Eritrea, later lived in Ethiopia, and began a journey toward safety in the United States. While seeking asylum, she was deported to Panama, a country she had never been to, on one of the widely-reported military flights last year. She spent months confined in a hotel and dangerous camps, and is now staying in an RFM shelter without a clear path forward.
Her story reflects the hope that drives migration and the reality many face on the way.
This series is an invitation to watch and listen. To bear witness. To move beyond headlines and understand the human experience of migration in all its complexity.
Melona's story continues - this is part 1 of 2.
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