A coyote is a person who smuggles people across the US-Mexico border for a fee. They use various methods, and the process is dangerous. Coyotes have a reputation, and immigrants rely on them to guide them through the process. The coyote’s role has become more complicated due to border restrictions, and many immigrants die each year trying to cross. Human smuggling is different from human trafficking, where victims are exploited and sold into slavery.
A coyote or pollero is someone who specializes in human smuggling, bringing people across the U.S. border from Mexico. Coyotes typically have extensive experience smuggling people and other goods, and use a variety of techniques to get their clients across the border, ranging from sneaking across the desert to hiding illegal immigrants in trucks. Illegal border crossings are often extremely dangerous and many coyotes charge a high fee as a result; often, this tax has to be paid in advance, in case an immigrant doesn’t make it.
Many people distinguish between human smuggling and human trafficking when discussing the illegal flow of people across a border. A human smuggler such as a coyote helps people cross the border for a fee, and then generally lets them go, while human traffickers exploit their victims, essentially selling them into slavery. However, in some cases, coyotes have been known to use manipulative or sleazy tactics to squeeze more money out of their clients, such as threatening them with the authorities or indicating that their relatives may be in danger.
There are a number of reasons for choosing to use a coyote, rather than attempting to obtain a visa and immigrate legally. Many refugees turn to coyotes because they are denied refugee status or cannot take the time to apply for refugee status because they fear for their lives. In other cases, people are unfamiliar with the visa application process, aren’t willing to wait, or aren’t willing to go through the red tape involved, which can be extensive. In areas where officials are corrupt, it may make more sense to pay a coyote than to pay for a parade of officials demanding a cut from desperate visa seekers.
A coyote typically relies on word-of-mouth reputation, with people at home and in the United States exchanging information about which coyotes are honest and reputable. If a coyote becomes known to ask for more money, for example, it may be difficult to find work. Once immigrants select a coyote, they rely on the coyote to guide them safely through the immigration process.
Due to the tightening of border restrictions, the coyote’s role has become much more complicated, and for immigrants, the process has become fraught with dangers. Numerous immigrants die every year trying to cross the desert, and while some are found, providing closure for their families, others are simply never heard from again. Immigrants have also died while trapped in trucks and containers, and some have drowned while trying to swim in the Rio Grande, while others have been killed by border patrol or vigilante groups.
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