Legacy MattersLost in the immigration debate is what happens when an illegal immigrant dies in the U.S.
Rev. John Brown who ministers to Mexicans at the St. Joseph Catholic Church is quoted in the New York Times article as saying
"For Mexicans, the bonds of the family unit are very strong. The bond is broken when they go to work in the United States. It is restored in death.”
In Journey Home to Mexico Grave, an Industry Rises
To bring a body home, collection boxes are set up in grocery stores, employers chip in, discounts are negotiated and Mexican politicians get involved.
“I hadn’t seen my brother in four years; we didn’t know where he was,” said Ignacio Ponce Martínez, El Cholo’s older brother. “We had to send him to Mexico with his mother. We couldn’t just leave him here.”
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For illegal immigrants, some of whom pay $2,000 to $3,000 to be smuggled across the border through the Arizona desert, the return trip in a coffin can be more expensive than the journey into the United States.