2 YEARS, NEARLY 44,000 MIGRANTS HAVE MAYBE LONG ARDUOUS JOURNEY FROM THEIR HOME COUNTRIES IN SOUTH AMERICA TO CHICAGO.

THE NEW W T TW DIGITAL SERIES FIRSTHAND HOMELESS.

THE MIGRANT EXPERIENCE FOLLOWS 5 ASYLUM SEEKERS ON THEIR WAYS TO FINDING HOUSING EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION AND A BETTER LIFE.

HERE'S A LOOK.

A DIFFERENT THEMES MEET THOSE SAY, LOOK, CAN YOU SEE PEOPLE SPEND MONEY AT TIME AS WE GET INTO MEETING?

WAS FEW LEFT.

IS THE END THIS HUMAN A FEW CAN HE'S GOOD KIDS.

AND JOINING US IS AT BREVARD AS PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR OF FIRSTHAND HOMELESS.

THE MIGRANT EXPERIENCE AGREE.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

THANK YOU FOR INVITATION.

SO WE JUST WATCHED THE CLIP, OF COURSE IN SILOAM SEEKER FROM ECUADOR'S NAME IS CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT HIS STORY?

AND THAT IS 7 AT THE MISSION AT SAINT EDMUND'S CHURCH IN PARK.

PART OF ENTERPRISING THESE STORIES WAS TALKING TO A LOT OF PEOPLE AND MANY OF THEM, EVEN THOUGH THEY COMMITTED TO DO THE STORIES AFTER A FEW DAYS, THEY WOULD JUST SAY NO.

SO I JUST DECIDED I WOULD HANG OUT AT THE AT THE MISSION AND WITH THE HELP OF ONE OF VOLUNTEERS, CELINE WAS NNEKA.

SHE GOT ME IN TOUCH WITH THE 7 THE ATTACK TO USE RATHER TOM.

I WANTED TO DO IT DOCUMENTARY ON THEIR LIFE.

STARTING HERE IN CHICAGO WAS JUST TO GET TO KNOW.

JUST HOW YOU DOING.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW?

AND BECAUSE I THINK AS YOU KNOW, IT'S IT TAKES A LITTLE WHILE AGAIN, SOMEONE'S TRUST.

AND I NEEDED THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO TELL THE STORIES.

THERE'S ALSO A STORY OF WHO SAY A FAMILY MAN.

HE'S WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO PROVIDE FOR HIS FOLLOWED HIM WITH HIS KIDS TO THE BARBER AND BECAUSE THEY WANT TO GET THEIR HAIR CUT, OF COURSE, TO LOOK GOOD.

THE DAY BEFORE THEIR IMMIGRATION HEARING, WHICH WAS THE NEXT DAY WHERE, YOU KNOW, HEADING IN, HE'S HE'S CLEARLY A BIT NERVOUS.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THAT DAY AND SORT OF HELPING HIM?

DID YOU KNOW, DID YOU FIND YOURSELF HELPING HIM NAVIGATE THE HAIRCUTS WERE DONE ON TUESDAY AND IT IMMIGRATION.

COURT APPEARANCE WAS ON WEDNESDAY AND I COULD TELL MY SAY WHAT'S WRONG.

AND HE SAID HE GOES WELL AND HE'S NERVOUS.

YOU KNOW, HE GOES EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TOMORROW IS THE BEGINNING OF REST OF SO I SAID, DON'T WORRY ABOUT I'M GOING TO GO IN THERE GRATION COURT AND MEET YOU.

JUST KNOW THAT THEY WILL NOT MEAN CAN OK, GONNA GO THEM.

AGREE TO MAKE SURE YOU PARK AND GET YOU AS FAR AS I CAN TAKE FORTUNATELY, WHEN YOU GET TO IMMIGRATION COURT, THERE BILINGUAL ASSISTANCE AND THEY TELL YOU, WELL, YOU CAN'T GO BEYOND THIS POINT.

ONLY THE PEOPLE THAT APPEAR IN COURT.

SO THAT HELPED THEM A LITTLE BIT.

I THINK I GUESS IT LESSEN THE STRESS OF HIM ARRIVING, BUT NOT THE STRESS OF ACTUALLY APPEARING BEFORE A JUDGE, JUST YOUR PRESENCE.

AND AND OF COURSE, AS A JOURNALIST, A DOCUMENTARIAN, IT'S PROBABLY A FINE LINE BETWEEN AM I GETTING INVOLVED HERE INSISTING, RIGHT VERSUS, YOU KNOW, TELLING A STORY JUST BEING A GOOD PERSON, RIGHT?

WELL, I JUST I JUST KNOW EVERY TIME YOU HAVE TO GO TO DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW WHERE YOU PARK, YOU KNOW, AND JUST NAVIGATING EVER, CHICAGO SO AS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS HELPFUL FOR HIM.

SO I WANT PLAY ANOTHER CLIP FROM THE SERIES.

THIS ONE FEATURES WHO MADE THE DIFFICULT DECISION TO TRAVEL TO CHICAGO WITHOUT 2 OF HER CHILDREN.

HERE'S A LOOK AT THAT.

WE SEE A MINNESOTA THEN DO.

MAKING THE MOUNTAINSIDE IN NATO.

SEE OUT AND SAID THAT, THEN YOU GET THE ITEM MEAN, I THINK GUY THAT THEY WILL NOT NEW OKLAHOMAN WITH, BUT I DOUBT KIDS ALSO HAVE TOLD ME, BUT APPEAL CAN ABOUT FOR GET A TIME AND A HALF.

A BABY, AND SO BOTH EMILY'S CASE AS WELL AS THAT OF JOSE WAS WORKING MULTIPLE JOBS TO PROVIDE FOR HIS FAMILY.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, FOR THOSE WHO WATCH THE ENTIRETY OF OF EMILY'S STORY, YOU SEE HOW HARD FOLKS ARE WORKING TO MAKE IT WORK FOR THEM.

WHAT IS WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU?

WHAT DID PICK UP ON THAT THEME AS WELL?

I DID.

I HOPE THAT PEOPLE THE DIGNITY LOOKING FOR.

THE THE SPIRIT THAT THERE, THAT PAIN THAT THEY HAVE.

THEY'RE HARD WORKERS.

SURE, BUT THEY'RE THEY'RE WORKING FOR THEIR FAMILY.

THEY'RE WORKING FOR A BETTER LIFE.

YOU KNOW, OF THE AGAIN OF THE SEVERAL OF WATCH THAT THEY'RE ALSO VERY THANKFUL TO BE YOU KNOW, DESPITE YOU KNOW WHAT WE'VE SEEN ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THEIR THEIR CONDITIONS ONCE THEY ARRIVE, YOU KNOW, MANY OF THEM LIVING IN SHELTERS AND THE SERIES IS FIRSTHAND HOMELESS.

THE MIGRANT EXPERIENCE AND THANKFULLY MOST OF THEM ARE SHELTERED OR HAVE I'M A HOME THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO MAKE.

WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU ABOUT THEIR ATTITUDE, THEIR, YOU VERY THANKFUL TO BE HERE IN ABOUT WHERE THEY CAME FROM.

THE THEY TRULY BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT ONCE THEY ARRIVE TO THE ALREADY WENT 6, 6, COUNTRIES.

SO IF THEY WERE GOING TO FEEL HATE OR RACISM, THEY ARE READY EXPERIENCE THAT FOR MANY OF THEM.

THE JOURNEY THROUGH MEXICO WAS THE HARDEST AND EVEN SEEING THE THE EMILY CLIP, EVEN THOUGH I WAS THERE, IT'S STILL EMOTIONAL.

IT'S STILL, I AT THE THESE REAL PEOPLE TRYING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES WITH DO YOU THINK PEOPLE HAVE A MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE PLIGHT OF OF THE MIGRANT EXPERIENCE ABOUT THE PLIGHT OF THE NEW ARRIVALS?

I THINK IF YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO TALK TO THE MIGRANTS ARE TO WATCH THESE STORIES AND NOT NOT JAMES LEE PROMOTING IT.

IT'S JUST YOU HAVE TO.

THAT'S HOW YOU UNDERSTAND PEOPLE.

YOU TALK TO I SAID I THOUGHT WAS TIONG YOUR PRODUCER.

IT'S INTERESTING IN CHICAGO, WE CALL CITY OF IMMIGRANT IMMIGRANTS AND THAT WE KNOW EACH OTHER BY FOOD IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE SUCH AN IDENTITY TO IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES.

I THINK THIS NEW WAVE THESE PEOPLE ARE NO DIFFERENT.

EMILY AND HER STORY, YOU'LL FIND THAT YOU MAKES A LITTLE MONEY COOKING FOOD OUTSIDE OF THE SHELTERS ARE AT A HOME AND SELLING IT OUTSIDE THE SHELTERS.

SHE'S A VERY GOOD COOK.

SHE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO TO SHARE HER SOUP WITHOUT AND SOME BUS.

IT LOOK DELICIOUS WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WITH ESTABLISHING AND WE'RE OBVIOUSLY WERE SOME OF THEM A BIT MISTRUSTFUL OF SOMEONE LIKE YOU YOU KNOW, SHOWS UP AND WANTS TO TELL STORY.

WITHOUT A WE STARTED BY WE WE'RE DIDDLEY STARTED BY SHOWING UP WITH A CAMERA AND I KNEW THAT WASN'T GOING TO WORK BECAUSE RIGHT YOU KNOW, PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO BE ON CAMERA.

AND THE LAST QUARTER OF OUR VIDEOTAPE IN OR YOU TAKING MY PICTURE.

I THINK IN THEIR OWN THERE ARE MISTRUSTFUL OF MEDIA AND I THINK COMING HERE AS SOON AS THEY ARRIVED AS A FEW MONTHS AGO, EVERYBODY WAS OUTSIDE OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OR INTENSE AND I THINK THAT'S WAS THEIR FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH NEWS MEDIA IN THE CITY, WHICH WHICH WE WE ALL REMEMBER WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AT THE TIME.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE'LL HAVE TO LEAVE IT.

BUT OF COURSE, WE CAN DIRECT FOLKS TO SEE IT.

VARGAS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.