After the long bus ride from Kansas to Mexico, Pedro takes a cab out to his family's ranch. The driver gives him distressing news: the crops this year have all been lost. "There is nothing," he says.

The farms in this part of Mexico are now dry and barren. A severe drought has decimated the once fertile land. Poor farmers have also been unable to afford the government fees to get permission to dig wells, leaving all the irrigation water to the wealthy. Many, like Pedro, have chosen to abandon the land for opportunities in the U.S.

Pedro's homecoming is sweet and lively. The family celebrates in the small, wooden ranchito nestled at the base of the mountains, sitting on land that was once bursting with white corn and sorghum. The family is hopeful that they can get the required papers to come and go from America as they please. They have never considered crossing the border illegally.

"With papers they can come and go," says Ventura. "As wetbacks? No. Because crossing the mountains you suffer too much."

Like most parents in rural Mexico, Pedro and Ventura could not afford to keep their children in school past the sixth grade. In America, they hope things will be different. "It’s beautiful to discover that through a piece of paper a person can speak," says Pedro, looking through a book with his youngest daughter. "That’s why I want them to go to school."

When Pedro must return to America one last time alone, the family bids a tearful farewell. He is determined to secure the papers he needs. "Nothing is guaranteed in life. What I want to give them is like an inheritance. Because I have nothing else to give them other than those papers, so they can cross and seek their future."

On Pedro's next visit home, the family is ready. They have an immigration interview in Juarez (dubbed "Visa City" by locals) in just three days. The trip is arduous—a thousand-mile journey—and costly. There are motel rooms and bus fares for the whole family, Mexican passports and U.S. visa requirements: photos, medical exams, application fees.

The family waits in line on a Juarez bridge spanning the border between the U.S. and Mexico. "This river belongs to Mexico, but the water belongs to the U.S.," muses Pedro. "Look how little water there is now. If we could have all the water from this river for our crops in Mexico, we wouldn’t need to come to the U.S."

Pedro finds out that his and one sponsor's income is not enough to sponsor the whole family in the U.S. The Floreses must find another sponsor quickly, so they work the phones. When several calls don't pan out, the children feel the stress. In tears, their youngest son Pedrito pleads with his parents not to leave him behind. "You’re all going over there, and you’re not going to take me," he wails. Pedro assures him that this will not happen, but also knows time is growing short.


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