Crosses such as this one, line the streets of Juarez to bring awareness to the violence towards women.
The U.S. Department of State travel website states Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, has one of the highest homicide rates in Mexico, earning it a travel warning, as the border city continues to struggle with crime and violence fueled by the illegal-drug trade.
A few miles away, citizens in El Paso, Texas, reside in the safest city in America — as stated by the City of El Paso website.
The streets are under construction, many dilapidated buildings have been demolished, and a large tunnel was constructed in the same spot where a car bomb was detonated in 2010, which took the lives of three individuals.
The city is adorned with pink signs displaying a single black cross in honor of the missing or slayed women of Juarez.
Buildings and telephone posts are covered with missing persons posters, some tattered and weathered from the time passed.
Posters line the city buildings and street posts in hopes that citizens will be reunited with their loved ones.
The tourist market off of Avenida 16 de Septiembre, normally buzzing with tourists and music, was now empty.
Hotel Juarez stood dirty and beaten.
A young, armed Mexican soldier stood at the door. Juarez frequenter Isabel Gonzalez said this is the new post for the Mexican military.
Marco Antonio Ramirez stands guard in front of the Hotel Juarez.
Soldier Marco Antonio Ramirez spoke while his superiors watched from behind the tinted windows of the hotel, observing the surroundings.
“Since this is a border town, drugs are everywhere. So, there are a lot of people wanting to fight in the plaza, but to tell you the truth, I am not afraid,” Ramirez said in his native tongue.
As a little boy he said he had always wanted to help people. At 22-years-old, the Vera Cruz native said he is finally able to do that on a daily basis.
“I don’t have any intentions to move over there,” he said when asked about becoming an American, “I am doing real good here in Mexico.”
The patio of a popular restaurant was converted to a parking lot after tourism diminished, according to local vendor Raul Lozano.
Lozano, a native of Juarez, said he was raised in Minnesota and moved back as an adult to get back to his roots.
“They do it out of necessity,” he said as he described his mother who made her voyage to the states as a single parent of three boys.
Market vendor, Raul Lozano discusses life in his beloved city.
He said his mother, Maria Guadalupe, is a retired factory worker and lives in St. Paul, Minn. He said she has health issues due to the wear and tear on her body from years of hard work.
He said Juarez has a negative stigma they need to overcome because of the violence. He said because of a change to their board of directors, tourism is beginning to pick up.
“Life in Juarez is good,” he said with a smile as he joked about the only threat to his life being the bad traffic.
The war on drugs plays a minimal role in immigration, despite contrary belief, according to immigration expert and Texas Tech University professor, Miguel Levario, Ph.D.
“Nothing’s gonna change until Americans stop taking drugs,” Levario said as he spoke of the cycle involving American drug usage and drug smuggling.
Read also: American Dream Not Quite Reality, Long Wait Brings Focus to Restrictions, Desert Guides at a High Price and Blurred Border Boundaries.
About Lucinda Holt
