《走线》歪脑首部纪录片长片

This program contains graphic language and imagery may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

[man 1] <i>After leaving China and traveling all over,</i>

<i>I found I wasn’t as stressed.</i>

<i>I had never cast a vote in all my life.</i>

<i>This time I voted with my feet.</i>

[reporter 1] <i>In the surge of migrants illegally crossing</i> <i>the Mexico-US border,</i>

<i>there’s now a growing number of</i> <i>Chinese nationals.</i>

[reporter 2] <i>Border patrol agents arrested</i> <i>more than 24,000 Chinese people</i>

<i>for crossing the US Southern border illegally</i> <i>over the past year through September.</i>

[reporter 3] <i>Since October of last year (2022),</i>

<i>the number of illegal immigrants</i> <i>from China,</i>

<i>now called "line walkers" by netizens,</i>

<i>has increased by 15 times compared with</i> <i>the same period last year,</i>

<i>reaching a historical peak.</i>

[reporter 4] <i>Why are Chinese people continuing to</i> <i>“flee” to the United States,</i>

<i>in spite of all the dangers and difficulties?</i>

[man 2] <i>Why did I wake up?</i>

<i>I feel like waking up was an agonizing process.</i>

The Chinese people want human rights!

The Chinese people want human rights!

[man 3]I'm already at the bottom of society, what do I fear?

[man 4] In China, gays and lesbians cannot get married or have children.

When we grow old, we will be left all alone.

I’m afraid of being arrested when I talk,

when I do anything.

Democracy! Rule of law!

Freedom of speech!

We must persist in the Zero-Covid Policy without wavering.

[Xi] Launch a people's war, a total war,

-[Xi] against the epidemic. -[Crowd] Lift the lockdown!

[man 5] The zero-COVID policy created Chinese refugees.

I just want my children

to live differently.

<i>We want freedom!</i>

<i>We want freedom!</i>

After enduring China’s Covid-19 restrictions, many fled the country, taking perilous journeys through South and Central America to reach the United States. This route is referred to by Chinese internet users as “zouxian”, or “walk the line”.

[Airport train announcing stops]

<i>At the end of 2022,</i>

<i>I first reported on Chinese citizens</i>

<i>"walking the line" in Colombia.</i>

<i>Initially, I was going to interview</i>

<i>Latin Americans who crossed</i> <i>the Darién Gap,</i>

<i>but unexpectedly I saw dozens of</i> <i>Chinese faces</i>

<i>like mine at the port.</i>

<i>In March 2023,</i>

<i>I decided to follow in their footsteps.</i>

<i>I flew from my homeland, Taiwan,</i>

<i>to Istanbul, Turkey.</i>

<i>Most Chinese who plan</i> <i>to walk the line</i>

<i>will fly here from various ports in China,</i>

<i>and then fly from Istanbul to Ecuador.</i>

<i>Ecuador is one of the few</i> <i>Latin American countries</i>

<i>that Chinese passport holders can enter</i> <i>without a visa.</i>

<i>As soon as I arrived at the boarding gate</i> <i>for my flight to Ecuador,</i>

<i>I saw about thirty Chinese,</i>

<i>including at least two families.</i>

<i>Are they all planning to</i> <i>go to the United States?</i>

I need to fight for my own future.

The US is also divided into classes, right?

You start in the lowest class, no way around it.

To get to the elite class, you must fight for it with all you have.

So, when I get there, I’ll have to struggle all over again,

just like when I first graduated.

Of course, for me,

I am already in my thirties,

and starting over

was not an easy decision.

[Alicia] <i>For these migrants,</i>

<i>leaving China is a challenge.</i>

<i>They are terrified of being interrogated</i> <i>by Chinese customs</i>

<i>or even prevented from leaving.</i>

<i>First they would buy round-trip tickets</i>

<i>from China to Istanbul,</i>

<i>book hotels and travel itineraries</i> <i>in Turkey.</i>

Once out of China<i>,</i>

<i>they cancel their reservations</i>

<i>and buy a ticket to Quito,</i> <i>the capital of Ecuador.</i>

China is also divided into big cities and small cities,

sensitive areas and not so sensitive areas.

If you're from a sensitive area, going to some sensitive places,

Turkey is also a sensitive place now,

if they fly there from China,

they are likely to get stopped.

I can't go into detail now,

because there are many fellow Chinese here.

[Alicia] <i>After arriving in Ecuador,</i>

<i>migrants have to cross seven countries</i>

<i>and travel 3,500 kilometers north</i>

<i>before reaching the United States.</i>

[Flight attendant announcing flight arrival]

[Alicia] <i>After 14 hours,</i>

<i>we completed the long international flight.</i>

<i>In the terminal,</i>

<i>we saw an old man in a neat suit</i>

<i>and a young couple dressed in vacation attire.</i>

<i>I found out that the reason</i> <i>why they dressed up like this</i>

<i>was because they were afraid that</i> <i>Ecuadorian customs would suspect them</i>

<i>of being "fake tourists” there to walk the line,</i>

<i>and they would be deported back to Turkey.</i>

[Mr. Li] I took a walk today

Quito is quite mountainous.

[Alicia] You had some altitude sickness?

Yeah, altitude sickness.

I just had a headache,

and it felt like my brain was waterlogged,

like it was all clogged up.

[Alicia] <i>Walking into the colorful</i> <i>bungalow community in central Quito,</i>

<i>there is a hostel hidden in an alley.</i>

<i>The hostel owner, also from China,</i>

<i>provides travelers with a place to stay.</i>

<i>Twenty-five dollars a night,</i> <i>including meals.</i>

<i>The hostel also sells</i> <i>rainforest equipment,</i>

<i>Chinese cigarettes,</i> <i>and instant noodles.</i>

<i>In busy periods,</i>

<i>it can host more than</i> <i>30 people a night.</i>

<i>Most travelers will team up here</i>

<i>and continue heading north together.</i>

Why should I team up with other migrants

and share my personal business

and share my personal business？

I’m not seeking anything from them,

I just hope they don’t bother me.

These photos were taken some years ago.

I’ve worked in hospitality for a few years.

[Alicia]<i> Mr. Li once worked as a hotel manager</i> <i> in Guangzhou.</i>

<i>Before setting off,</i>

<i>he spent half a year researching</i> <i>travel strategies on social media.</i>

I saw these short videos

about walking the line on Douyin

in September last year.

An opportunity to go to America.

Yes. So I started planning at that time.

If you decide to walk the line,

how much money do you need?

[Douyin] You can hide $500 in one shoe,

$1,000 in a pair.

Hold on to the rope!

To be honest, I was still very reluctant

until the very moment I left.

The social environments are intolerable

for any reasonable person.

Unless I had family and loves ones

keeping me in China,

I’d find a way to immigrate.

Even if I did,

I’d figure out how to take them with me.

[Woman singing in Spanish]

[Alicia] <i>In Quito Old Town,</i>

<i>I met a family of four preparing</i>

<i>to go to the Darién Gap.</i>

<i>The father was worried</i>

<i>about the safety of his family in China</i>

<i>and chose not to show his face .</i>

<i>He even worried that the Chinese government</i>

<i>could identify him from the way he walks.</i>

Three years of Zero-Covid Policy.

Many things were completely exposed.

You lie...

No matter how good at lying you are,

do you really think we are that gullible?

[Alicia] <i>His nine-year-old daughter</i> <i>was drinking a milkshake aside.</i>

<i>and he teared up as he talked.</i>

<i>He used a VPN to bypass the Great Firewall</i> <i>see the world without censorship.</i>

<i>He owned a bookstore</i>

<i>and was interrogated</i> <i>by the National Security police.</i>

They warned us not to sell certain books.

They threatened my children’s future

if I did it again.

How did you financially prepare for this?

We had to sell our house and car.

But we also knew that by selling at that time,

we had to sell low.

It barely covered the travel expenses.

[Alicia] <i>The migrants then took long-distance buses</i>

<i>to a small town in Colombia near</i>

<i>the border with Panama,</i>

<i>across the sea from the Darién Gap,</i>

<i>Necoclí.</i>

<i>Mr. Li had been so full of confidence,</i>

<i>but texted me in the evening,</i>

<i>hoping that we would pick him up</i> <i>at the station in Necoclí.</i>

<i>The message ended with</i> <i>two "scared" emojis.</i>

[Mr. Li] <i>These four days</i>

<i>have felt like traveling halfway across China.</i>

<i>Sleeping on the coach at night.</i>

<i>It's so hard.</i>

[Alicia] <i>The once quiet and peaceful town</i>

<i>with a population of only 20,000</i>

<i>has become noisy and crowded</i> <i>due to the influx</i>

<i>of tens of thousands of migrants.</i>

<i>Merchants and shops no longer</i> <i>target tourists</i>

<i>but instead are engaged</i> <i>in the immigration business.</i>

<i>Prices are steadily rising,</i>

<i>with migrants sleeping in tents on the beach.</i>

<i>But migrants from China</i>

<i>usually have enough money</i> <i>to stay in hotels.</i>

[Ferry announcement]

<i>As long as the wind and waves</i>

<i>are calm enough for travel,</i>

<i>hundreds of migrants will gather</i> <i>at the port before 8 a.m.,</i>

<i>waiting to take a one-hour speedboat</i>

<i>to enter the Darién Gap.</i>

Our company transports approximately

600 to 700 people via ferry every day.

Everyday there are about 100 to 120 Asians.

[Alicia] <i>Between 2011 and 2021,</i>

<i>only about 100 Chinese citizens</i> <i>crossed the Darién Gap,</i>

<i>but in the second half of 2022,</i>

<i>numbers began to surge.</i>

<i>In 2023,</i>

<i>there were more than 25,000.</i>

We left on March 10th.

We bought our plane tickets early.

The day before we left,

my wife was still strongly against it,

but I told her that we had to leave.

[Alicia] <i>Ding owned a company in Shandong</i>

<i>and owns a house and car.</i>

<i>He is considered middle class in China.</i>

A large part of this is for my children.

Because we lived in a small town,

educational resources are very limited.

If you want to provide your children with better educational resources,

you have to spend a lot of money to buy a house in a big city,

but that amount of money is hard to make.

In the beginning,

I was planning on immigrating by studying abroad

or even on a tourist visa,

but it was simply impossible for a family of three.

How much this one?

Ok.

[Alicia] <i>As we wandered around Necoclí,</i>

<i>we met some single women</i> <i>in their twenties and early thirties,</i>

<i>Cindy was the only one</i> <i>willing to be interviewed.</i>

How much?

-Two people? -Yeah.

Seventy-five.

Seventy-five.

Including this?

Yes.

One two three.

Seventy-five.

Ok?

Have nice one, strong one.

Ok, let me think first.

[Alicia] <i>Cindy is from Fujian.</i>

<i>Thirty years ago,</i>

<i>people from Fuzhou made the dangerous attempt</i> <i>to cross the Pacific</i>

<i>and to come to the United States.</i>

<i>The case of the "Golden Venture" shocked society.</i>

<i>Thirty years later,</i>

<i>young women like Cindy </i> <i>who can speak English</i>

<i>and even worked in South Africa,</i>

<i>have also become migrants.</i>

<i>She originally applied for</i> <i>an Ecuadorian business visa</i>

<i>but waited in vain for several months.</i>

<i>She met a group of young women</i> <i>about her age in Necoclí</i>

<i>and joined them.</i>

When did you decide?

To take this path?

Just a few days ago.

The day before yesterday.

I couldn’t drag on any longer.

If it kept dragging on,

I’m stuck in the same place.

I might as well take another path,

it may not be as good,

but it’s a way to move forward.

[Alicia] You found a random hotel online, right?

[Mr. Li] And I couldn’t find one, so I just picked this one.

How much is 120,000?

Thirty dollars?

[Alicia] Right, around that.

Any discount for staying two nights?

[Alicia] <i>We met three young men</i> <i>at a fried chicken restaurant,</i>

<i>two of whom were a gay couple.</i>

<i>Lee and Ivan are from Sichuan and Guizhou,</i>

<i>have been together for more than four years.</i>

<i>They ran a coffee shop together in China,</i>

<i>lived a fulfilling life and traveled frequently.</i>

<i>But just because they are gay,</i>

<i>they once found themselves in trouble</i> <i>with the Chinese police.</i>

[Lee] <i>We booked a room </i>

<i>with one bed in Shanghai</i>

<i>The police showed up in 10 minutes，</i>

asking <i>"Why are you two sleeping in one bed?</i>

<i>Are you taking illegal drugs?"</i>

<i>Usually two men will book</i>

<i>one room with two beds.</i>

[Alicia] <i>They were envious of same-sex marriage</i> <i>legalization in Taiwan,</i>

<i>and lamented that </i> <i>after Xi Jinping came to power,</i>

<i>there was even a crackdown on</i> <i>LGBTQ+ dating apps.</i>

[Lee] We can’t get legally married in China.

In Taiwan, it’s possible.

Yes, (same-sex) marriage was legalized

in Taiwan in 2019.

[Ivan] I’m so jealous.

[Lee] We’re planning for the future.

In China, we can’t get married, have children,

have surrogates, or adopt.

There are no guarantees in our later years.

China does not have a safety net for us,

like medical coverage.

When we are old，

we will have no families.

We can easily see what life would be like

for elderly gay men in China,

what our situation would look like,

so we decided to leave.

I'll grab something to eat first...

[Alicia] We’ve eaten there before.

How do you say “the Statue of Liberty” in English?

[Alicia] The Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty was calling to me a few months ago.

[Cindy] <i>I had fears and worries before I left,</i>

<i>but after departing,</i>

<i>I felt those fears and worries no longer existed.</i>

<i>Because you are already on the road,</i>

<i>all you need to do</i>

<i>is to think about how to take each next step.</i>

[Mr. Li] <i>Life has infinite possibilities</i>

<i>as long as you don’t give up.</i>

[Cindy] <i>If you treat this process as</i> <i>a kind of journey,</i>

<i>it won’t feel so oppressive,</i>

<i>it will be much better.</i>

[Alicia] <i>Most Chinese people choose the Carretto route,</i>

<i>allowing them to cross the rainforests</i> <i> in just two days.</i>

<i>But the smugglers worried that filming</i> <i>would affect their business,</i>

<i>and warned us to stay away.</i>

<i>For safety reasons, we chose the Acandí route,</i>

<i>which takes three to five days.</i>

<i>A motorcycle convoy took us and our guide</i>

<i>to the entrance of the rainforest.</i>

<i>The campground is far away</i> <i>from roads and ports,</i>

<i>but provides hot food, a grocery store,</i>

<i>and even Wi-Fi.</i>

<i>The armed militia organization</i> <i>that controls this place</i>

<i>requires migrants to pay</i> <i>a so-called "management fee,"</i>

<i>which varies from tens to hundreds</i> <i>of US dollars.</i>

<i>After paying the fee,</i>

<i>migrants receive a fluorescent wristband.</i>

<i>The primitive rainforest is like a nightclub,</i>

<i>which can only be entered with a wristband.</i>

<i>The business of facilitating smuggling</i> <i>migrants may not be legal,</i>

<i>but it is estimated to be quite profitable.</i>

<i>Mantinaz is the camp manager,</i>

<i>managing a team of more than 200 people.</i>

[Camp Manager] It’s not a business.

It’s a service, and they sincerely thank us.

That’s why people who pass through tell others to follow,

because the most important thing is

that we integrate transport

and a place to sleep.

These places are all private property and belong to the indigenous people.

Of course, they cannot be free.

[Alicia] <i>We met two Chinese families</i> <i>and several young people.</i>

<i>Other migrants had an open attitude</i> <i>towards the media,</i>

<i>but Chinese migrants were worried</i> <i>for their families in China.</i>

<i>Some were even worried that</i>

<i>there were Chinese spies in their midst here.</i>

<i>Fortunately, one of them</i> <i>was willing to accept our interview.</i>

My name is Yu Chunfei.

Born in 1984.

I was born in Shanxi.

After graduation

I worked in property management in Beijing

for about 10 years.

I’ve also worked in some sales jobs.

I had a family,

but we are divorced.

My son is almost five years old.

He lives with my ex-wife.

My ex-wife works

in a state-owned enterprise.

She is very…

nationalistic, you know,

and we had little in common.

After leaving China and traveling all over,

I found I wasn’t as stressed.

I’m so happy.

I posted several WeChat moments,

and many people said I gained weight.

I said I ate too well.

We have to travel for four days,

so we have to bring enough food.

Bread is squashed like this.

Easy to pack.

I packed some eggs in the morning.

But I drank a little wine at night and fell asleep,

and now the eggs are all crushed.

A sticky mess now.

Because of the Communist Party,

China gives the world the impression of producing garbage.

Look at this bag,

I just carried it for only a few days,

and it's already broken.

Someone punched a hole for me

with a knife and tied a knot.

This bag is useless.

Fortunately, I didn't throw away the other bag.

[Alicia] <i>It’s almost pitch black in the rainforest</i>

<i>after 6:30 p.m.</i>

<i>Early the next morning,</i>

<i>the migrants gathered</i> <i>at the wooden gate of the camp.</i>

<i>A man spoke with a megaphone,</i>

<i>as if at a pep rally before a marathon.</i>

We are all the same.

We must support each other.

Don't be rude.

We are all equal.

No one is more important than anyone else.

You spent money.

Today we must do things right.

Are you ready?

Yes.

[Alicia] <i>There was no shot from a starting gun,</i>

<i>just the door of the camp</i> <i>squeezed open by the crowd.</i>

<i>And we followed Yu Chunfei</i>

<i>and hundreds of migrants</i>

<i>As they officially entered the Darién Gap,</i>

<i>which is 100 kilometers long,</i>

<i>has no roads, and is full of danger.</i>

<i>In 2023,</i>

<i>520,000 people crossed the Darién Gap.</i>

<i>They mainly came from Central</i> <i>and South American countries,</i>

<i>but many also came from Africa and Asia.</i>

<i>As of January this year,</i>

<i>the number of Chinese migrants</i> <i>surpassed those from Ecuador,</i>

<i>ranking only behind Venezuelan</i>

<i>ranking only behind Venezuelan</i>

<i>and Haitian migrants.</i>

<i>Chinese migrants</i>

<i>are the largest migrant group</i>

<i>besides Latin Americans.</i>

I should have brought my son.

Everyone's physical strength is different,

and walking on this kind of trail is quite familiar to me.

[Alicia] <i>On the first day,</i>

<i>perhaps propped up by adrenaline,</i>

<i>Everyone said it was easier than expected, </i>

<i>talking and laughing along the way.</i>

<i>Many people also enthusiastically</i> <i>took photos with Yu Chunfei.</i>

Venezuela and China.

Yeah.

China and Venezuela

To the whole world!

What did he say?

He said Venezuelans and Chinese go everywhere in the world.

<i>[Alicia] We happened to</i> <i>meet the Venezuelan</i>

<i>who helped him buy</i> <i>the fluorescent wristband.</i>

<i>He resold it to Yu Chunfei for 70 US dollars.</i>

<i>If Yu Chunfei had bought it himself</i> <i>from the smugglers,</i>

<i>he would have paid 350 dollars.</i>

People from many countries come here.

They pass through the Darién Gap.

I don’t know what is happening in China now.

Many Chinese are coming here.

[Mr. Li] <i>This is the second big mountain.</i>

<i>Follow the guide.</i>

[Ding’s wife] <i>Just hold onto daddy.</i>

<i>Don’t worry. Sleep.</i>

I don’t know what’s going on.

Before, there were virtually no Chinese.

Now many Chinese come.

A large number.

[Alicia] <i>We followed Yu Chunfei</i> <i>to the next camp.</i>

<i>The smell was terrible in the rainforest,</i>

<i>a mixed smell of feces, urine,</i>

<i>and decay.</i>

<i>In the garbage dumps,</i>

<i>there are many with Simplified Chinese.</i>

During the three years of the epidemic,

my overall mental health was very bad.

I was in constant fear.

[Alicia] <i>Yu Chunfei showed me</i>

<i>a stack of documents he had prepared</i>

<i>to apply for asylum in the United States.</i>

<i>He refused to get vaccinated</i>

<i>during the epidemic,</i>

<i>because he doubted the safety</i> <i>of Chinese vaccines.</i>

<i>But this decision</i>

<i>cost him his job</i>

<i>and left him living on the streets.</i>

Your employer would force you to get vaccinated.

Otherwise, you’d be fired.

I rented an apartment.

Then the neighborhood committee harassed my landlord

to get me vaccinated.

Tenants must be vaccinated.

Then my landlord came to persuade me.

So I couldn't even find a place to live.

I couldn't find a job.

Then there was a really tough time

when I couldn’t even rent a place.

So after thinking about it,

I bought a van.

I slept in the van, parked on the street.

That way, I wouldn't be locked down

in a residential compound.

<i>[Alicia] Because of this, Yu Chunfei spent a year</i>

<i>in the van.</i>

<i>He thought that faking an allergy to proteins</i>

<i>could help him avoid forced vaccination.</i>

<i>So he came up with an idea</i>

<i>to have doctors write a note for him.</i>

I thought about it for several days,

and I came up with a solution.

I rubbed peach fuzz all over my body.

And broke out in a rash,

and then I went to see the doctor.

I said, I’m allergic to eggs.

I had a rash all over.

I didn't have a choice.

[Alicia] <i>After a resting for a night in camp,</i>

<i>we headed the next day to the border</i>

<i>of Colombia and Panama.</i>

I saw dogs walking along the way.

Dogs have no nationality.

They can go anywhere,

I should be able to, with some efforts.

[Alicia] <i>Before crossing the border,</i>

<i>the paid helpers who carried migrants'</i> <i>luggage and children</i>

<i>left as if they were clocking off of work.</i>

<i>This also meant that the migrants had to</i>

<i>rely on themselves</i> <i>for the rest of the journey.</i>

<i>This was our second day in the Darién Gap.</i>

<i>There was not as much shade as we imagined.</i>

<i>We walked from 6 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m.</i>

<i>under the scorching sun</i>

<i>and had to constantly</i> <i>wade through the water.</i>

<i>Everyone talked less</i>

<i>and began feeling the difficulty</i> <i>of the journey.</i>

<i>Although we were walking along a river,</i>

<i>drinking unfiltered water can easily</i>

<i>lead to vomiting, diarrhea, or illness</i>

<i>due to bacterial contaminants.</i>

This water tastes really good.

<i>That night,</i>

<i>there was a heavy downpour.</i>

<i>Yu Chunfei’s tent was completely soaked.</i>

<i>He kept waving his cellphone flashlight</i>

<i>in his tent.</i>

<i>I had heard that people can</i> <i>suffer from hypothermia in heavy rains.</i>

<i>I called him to take shelter</i> <i>under my rain cover,</i>

<i>but he didn’t respond.</i>

<i>The next day he woke up with a bad cold.</i>

[Cindy] <i>Here, I have faith that</i>

<i>I will make it out,</i>

<i>it’s just a matter of time.</i>

[man 6] <i>Every step I take</i>

<i>brings me closer to the camp.</i>

[Ding] <i>No one can stop me.</i>

[Alicia]<i> On the third day,</i>

<i>Yu Chunfei walked out of our sight</i> <i>several times</i>

<i>because he was rushing.</i>

<i>The ground was slippery and muddy.</i>

<i>Yu Chunfei fell several times along the way.</i>

<i>Once, he fell directly from a two-story rock wall</i>

<i>into the river valley,</i>

<i>scraping up his whole body.</i>

<i>There were no first aid facilities</i>

<i>or emergency medical stations,</i>

<i>and everyone was too busy</i> <i>taking care of themselves.</i>

<i>If someone was left behind due to injury,</i>

<i>the consequences are difficult to imagine.</i>

<i>We saw three dead bodies in one day,</i>

<i>one of which was a woman</i>

<i>abandoned along the roadside.</i>

She was alone,

her companions had left her behind.

That's the way it is here.

You have to take care of yourself first.

[Alicia]<i> A Venezuelan migrant picked up a bone</i> <i>from one of the corpses</i>

<i>and said he would take it with him</i>

<i>to the United States.</i>

<i>When we arrived at the camp on the third day,</i>

<i>we learned that the night before,</i>

<i>migrants had been robbed</i>

<i>and attacked near the camp.</i>

<i>There was even a shootout</i>

<i>between the robbers and the Panama</i> <i>border control.</i>

<i>The next morning,</i>

<i>we had barely rested</i>

<i>and just wanted to leave the jungle</i>

<i>as soon as possible.</i>

Get on the boat.

There must be quite a lot of Chinese here.

When they see me, they say “Chino, Chino.”

[Yu] <i>I had never cast a vote in all my life.</i>

<i>This time I voted with my feet.</i>

[Alicia] What do you think you are voting for

with your feet on this journey?

I vote for having no fear.

To get rid of that feeling of fear,

to break away from fear.

I lived in fear every day.

Fear of being arrested for talking,

or for doing something.

Inexplicable panic and nervousness.

This is what I am voting for.

[Alicia] We’re here, finally here!

We are here.

[Alicia] Are you happy?

[Yu] Tired.

But I am very happy.

[Alicia] <i>As the boat docked,</i>

<i>we finally walked out of the jungle.</i>

[Man 7] Coming out of the Darién Gap,

I saw cars and felt that

we had returned to a more modern era.

I feel like it’s finally come to an end.

I just want to eat a chicken drumstick over rice,

drink a can of Coke,

and then go to sleep.

[Alicia] <i>After leaving the Darién Gap,</i>

<i>the Panama border security</i>

<i>takes the migrants to camps</i> <i>near the rainforest.</i>

<i>International humanitarian organizations</i> <i>are stationed in the camp,</i>

<i>providing free medical care, food,</i> <i>and accommodation.</i>

<i>Chinese migrants also call it a “refugee camp.”</i>

<i>There were around 200 migrants</i> <i>in camp that day.</i>

<i>The soldiers on duty told us</i>

<i>that there were 69 Chinese among them,</i>

<i>including a 12-year-old girl</i>

<i>who had been separated from her parents.</i>

<i>He came from Urumqi, Xinjiang.</i>

<i>His entire arm was severely sunburned</i>

<i>from walking through the rainforest.</i>

<i>On November 24th, 2022,</i>

<i>a fire broke out in Urumqi,</i>

<i>triggering the "White Paper Movement"</i>

<i>against the government all over the country.</i>

<i>This also became the catalyst</i> <i>for him to flee the country.</i>

[man from Xinjiang] You see more and more

Chinese migrants in South America.

Let me tell you,

it is the Zero-Covid Policy that created Chinese refugees.

[Alicia] <i>Another family of four,</i>

<i>the youngest child only six months old.</i>

<i>This father has his own e-commerce business</i>

<i>and factory in China,</i>

<i>but for his children's future,</i>

<i>he still chose to flee.</i>

I don’t want the next generation to be like me, with no choice.

[Alicia] So it is mainly for the children’s education

and future?

Yes.

Schools brainwash our kids.

There is no proper education.

When they were performing in kindergarten,

the costumes had the words

"explosive pack" written on them.

[Alicia] What did it say?

Explosive pack.

An explosive pack,

meant to blow up bunkers.

[Alicia] What does that mean?

Like a suicide bomb...

For a new China, charge!

[Alicia] <i>In Taiwanese textbooks,</i>

<i>this anecdote is not mentioned.</i>

<i>It turns out that this originated from the story</i>

<i>of a PLA soldier named Dong Cunrui.</i>

<i>During the civil war in China,</i>

<i>he held up explosive packs</i>

<i>to blow up the enemy's bunker</i>

<i>and martyred himself for communism.</i>

<i>Therefore, he was regarded as a hero</i>

<i>by the Chinese Communist Party.</i>

For a new China, charge!

She had to perform this in her kindergarten.

It was so scary to watch.

[Alicia] <i>In the "refugee camp",</i> <i>you need to line up for everything,</i>

<i>including handing in your passport,</i>

<i>having your fingerprints taken,</i> <i>and receiving meals.</i>

<i>The final wait</i>

<i>is to get on a bus arranged by</i> <i>the Panamanian government.</i>

<i>and head to the border near Costa Rica.</i>

<i>Feng Lianjin is from Shandong.</i>

<i>He has been waiting here for two days.</i>

I am twenty-eight this year, born in 1995.

I’m an only child.

[Alicia] What did your parents say?

Did they know you were leaving,

or did you not tell them?

I told them.

I told them,

and they definitely disagreed,

strongly disagreed.

But I told them that I had made up my mind.

If I really want to leave, you can't stop me.

[Alicia] <i>They still have a long way to go.</i>

<i>Passing through Costa Rica,</i>

<i>Nicaragua,</i>

<i>Honduras,</i>

<i>and Guatemala,</i>

<i>they constantly switched between buses,</i>

<i>mini buses, and private cars,</i>

<i>covering more than 2,000 kilometers.</i>

<i>Along the way, they might be solicited for money</i>

<i>by gangsters or police officers.</i>

[Ding] <i>That’s Mexico over there.</i>

[Alicia] <i>About ten days later,</i>

<i>Yu Chunfei and Ding’s family</i> <i>took a rubber raft</i>

<i>across the Suchiate River</i>

<i>and arrived at the border of</i> <i>Guatemala and Mexico.</i>

<i>There are also people like Feng Lianjin</i>

<i>who squeezed into a truck</i> <i>with a group of migrants</i>

<i>and entered Mexico.</i>

You know the route already,

you can work as a smuggler, too.

Ten thousand US dollars a day.

Daily.

Pure profit.

[Alicia] <i>Feng Lianjin's estimation</i> <i>is not an exaggeration.</i>

<i>Some Chinese people go through agencies</i>

<i>to apply for visas</i>

<i>and fly directly to Mexico,</i>

<i>Agencies offer all-inclusive packages</i> <i>starting from 20,000 USD per person.</i>

<i>In comparison,</i>

<i>if you do it yourself</i>

<i>and rely on online guides,</i>

<i>each person will have to spend</i> <i>at least several thousand dollars.</i>

[Alicia] Your backpacks are so clean.

You don’t look like someone

who just walked through the Darién Gap

[Lee] We washed them four times.

Whenever we go to a place to wash clothes,

if we have clothes to wash, then we wash the backpacks.

[Ivan] They’re quick-drying material.

Bought in China.

There are all kinds of weird things available on Taobao.

[Lee] Our essentials are battery banks.

We make sure we have

two battery banks at all times.

Because no matter where you go,

you have to make sure that your cell phone has power.

The most important things are your passport and mobile phone.

[Alicia] Two passports, easier for safekeeping

[Lee] Yeah, we put them together.

[Ding’s son] I want my mom.

I want my mom.

[Ding] <i>Along the way,</i>

<i>we threw away all the damaged</i> <i>gear and clothes,</i>

<i>including shoes.</i>

<i>So, I want to buy us</i>

<i>some comfortable shoes and clothes</i>

<i>before leaving.</i>

<i>I want them to travel comfortably.</i>

[Alicia] Your little one walked over the first big mountain

by himself.

He probably had to go almost...

five hours by himself.

I didn’t want to,

but had no choice.

This is what we had to go through.

[Alicia] You are also in Mexico now,

and the next stop, which is your destination,

is just around the corner.

How do you feel now?

Maybe I won’t fully feel it

until the last hurdle is crossed.

Now I actually have to think about

how to cross Tapachula.

Everyone knows that Tapachula

is quite difficult to get out of.

Let’s wait until we get to Monterrey.

[Alicia] How are you preparing to cross there?

We’ll take a small car to cross there,

and slowly bypass the checkpoint.

That's the only way to go.

I can't take a boat.

I have a kid.

It's just too dangerous.

If it were just me, it wouldn’t matter at all,

but I have a kid and a family,

so it's absolutely impossible.

[Alicia] <i>Migrants take buses,</i>

<i>trains, and ride motorcycles,</i>

<i>trying to avoid dozens of checkpoints</i>

<i>designed to intercept them along the way.</i>

<i>The United States regularly pressures</i>

<i>the Mexican government to find ways</i>

<i>to stop migrants from heading north.</i>

<i>Taking a boat, as Ding said,</i>

<i>may be the most dangerous,</i>

<i>but fastest way to</i> <i>get around these checkpoints.</i>

<i>Migrants take</i> <i>a ten-hour overnight boat ride</i>

<i>from the port of Tapachula</i>

<i>to the central city of Juchitán.</i>

<i>There are several Chinese restaurants</i> <i>in town</i>

<i>that also sell boat tickets.</i>

<i>One of the Chinese restaurant owners,</i>

<i>charging 450 USD a ticket,</i>

<i>kept emphasizing that</i> <i>the voyage was very safe.</i>

<i>Trips are frequent.</i>

<i>Smugglers would arrange same day departure</i>

<i>for ticket-holders.</i>

[Xia Tian] <i>(We are) a family of three,</i>

<i>and several men</i> <i>suffered head injuries.</i>

<i>They were held at gunpoint.</i>

<i>The captain was severely beaten.</i>

[Alicia] <i>A mother nicknamed Xia Tian,</i>

<i>her husband and son,</i>

<i>and a group of other Chinese migrants</i>

<i>were attacked by bandits at sea.</i>

<i>The captain suffered</i> <i>a serious head injury,</i>

<i>and most of the migrants' money</i>

<i>was taken.</i>

[Xia Tian] <i>He searched me twice</i>

<i>but didn't find my money.</i>

<i>The third time, he found it</i>

<i>in my underwear.</i>

<i>He even...</i>

<i>searched in my underwear</i>

<i>with his hand.</i>

[Alicia] <i>In March 2024,</i>

<i>a smuggler boat capsized</i>

<i>off the coast of southern Mexico,</i>

<i>killing eight Chinese nationals,</i>

<i>seven of whom were women.</i>

Because my foot was injured,

I couldn't walk.

For me,

taking a boat made the most sense.

[Alicia] <i>This man left his wife and son in China,</i>

<i>walking the line alone.</i>

<i>When he was doing business</i> <i>in his hometown,</i>

<i>he was blackmailed</i> <i>by the local law enforcement.</i>

<i>He refused to cooperate,</i>

<i>and they injured his lower back,</i>

<i>which indirectly caused him</i> <i>to walk with a limp.</i>

[man with foot injury] When I was on the boat,

I don’t know why,

but I felt really, really sad.

I probably cried once on the boat.

I was thinking about moving

further away

from my loved ones.

Maybe we will never see each other again

in this life.

[Alicia] <i>In mid-April,</i>

<i>the temperature in the southern Mexican city</i>

<i>of Arriaga</i>

<i>exceeded 86 degrees.</i>

<i>Feng Lianjin and his companions</i>

<i>hid in the shade of the bus</i>

<i>and discussed whether</i> <i>they should get haircuts</i>

<i>while waiting for the bus.</i>

[Feng] I don’t know if there’s still time or not.

[Feng’s friend] There should be time.

Why don’t you let that barber friend

give you a haircut?

Give him a try.

I don't know what we can do when we arrive.

If he does a good job,

he can work at a barber shop.

[Feng] <i>Yesterday I met an African.</i>

<i>From Guinea.</i>

<i>He suddenly asked where we were from.</i>

[Alicia] <i>In Chinese?</i>

[Feng] <i>I asked, why can you speak Chinese?</i>

<i>Did you study in China?</i>

<i>He said yes.</i>

<i>I said, your Chinese is so good,</i>

<i>why didn’t you stay in China?</i>

<i>And he said, why didn't you stay in China?</i>

Do they call our names or what?

I don’t know,

he just asked us to come over with the tickets.

[Alicia] <i>Feng Lianjin's bus was stopped</i> <i>by the immigration bureau</i>

<i>halfway along the journey,</i>

<i>and they were sent back</i> <i>to southern Mexico.</i>

<i>Fortunately, he was not detained.</i>

<i>Some are sent to immigration prisons</i>

<i>for a couple of weeks.</i>

<i>Sometimes they even have to pay a fee</i>

<i>before being released.</i>

<i>Some Chinese migrants make their faces darker</i>

<i>or wear football jerseys</i>

<i>to pretend to be Latinos to avoid interrogation.</i>

[Yu] <i>I used it all the time in Mexico.</i>

<i>Bought this in Mexico.</i>

<i>What's this called? Foundation cream?</i>

<i>I used translation software to ask him</i>

<i>how do I make myself look tanner.</i>

<i>Then the cosmetics seller</i> <i>looked at me astonished.</i>

<i>Then the first store wouldn’t sell it to me,</i>

<i>but eventually the second store</i>

<i>sold it to me.</i>

I wouldn’t say this is a discrimination,

more a way

these people are more bond to be abuse of Asians

not only the Chinese, all Asians,

from India, you name it.

They (Mexican authorities or robbers) would believe the same thing,

They will say, well

they (migrants) come all the way from India,

so they must have more resources.

Because they might think

（migrants) they are not going to stay here anyway.

They are going to travel to the US.

so they would still have more money.

or US dollars or whatever.

[Alicia] <i>Lee and Ivan were asked for bribes</i>

<i>twice by the Mexican authorities.</i>

<i>They already learned to slip money</i>

<i>in their passports in advance</i>

<i>and hand them to the police.</i>

<i>[Chinatown Mexico City]</i>

<i>When we met them again,</i>

<i>Lee and Ivan had just been in line</i>

<i>for a few hours to receive</i>

<i>humanitarian passage documents.</i>

<i>Finally, they could travel legally in Mexico.</i>

[Alicia] When you got the papers,

did you feel relieved?

We must be about the same age.

[Lee] He's the youngest.

He's the eldest.

[Alicia] How old are you?

[Lee] He’s old.

[Alicia] How can you call him old?

[Cameraman] 35 is old? I'm also 35.

Don’t live it up too much.

Wait until you are more like 50 years old.

If you don’t work hard when you are young,

you will have regrets when you are old.

I didn't work hard when I was young.

I regretted it.

[Lee] Your life is good!

You need to work hard.

Nowadays in China, there are no more opportunities.

When we were in China,

when we were your age,

there were too many opportunities.

You could get interviews from five or six different employers a day.

They would all want you.

You would think that's because you were talented.

But now all that’s dried up.

Let’s find a coffee shop to sit down and chat a bit.

[Alicia] <i>The road ahead is the home stretch.</i>

<i>Most migrants choose</i> <i>a few major border cities</i>

<i>to cross over into the United States:</i>

<i>Tijuana,</i>

<i>Mexicali,</i>

<i>Ciudad Juárez,</i>

<i>and Monterrey.</i>

[Alicia] <i>If you successfully make it to the US,</i>

<i>what do you think life will be like</i>

<i>for the two of you?</i>

[Lee] <i>First off, we are mentally prepared</i>

<i>for some hardship.</i>

<i>Some guy joked that he'll become</i>

<i>the dish washing master.</i>

<i>It’s inevitable you have to do some</i>

<i>entry-level work at first.</i>

<i>After obtaining work authorization,</i>

<i>then you might find some legal jobs.</i>

<i>After we have a stable job and income,</i>

<i>we can live like a normal married couple.</i>

<i>Life will be good as long as we are together.</i>

[Ding] <i>Personally I think the border wall</i>

<i>sends a message</i>

<i>that you aren’t allowed to cross.</i>

<i>Right?</i>

<i>But why are there gaps?</i>

<i>That means,</i> <i>if you really want to come,</i>

<i>I can also let you.</i>

<i>Like raising the gun muzzle up</i> <i>an inch higher.</i>

<i>My attitude is no,</i>

<i>but if you are serious</i>

<i>about crossing,</i>

<i>I’ll let you.</i>

[Yu] Behind me is the

Monterrey bus station.

This afternoon

I’ll cross the border.

and enter the United States.

I would be arrested for holding up

such a piece of paper in China.

Now I’ll turn it over

and let everyone have a look.

[Xi Jinping, you forbade me to vote with my hands, now I vote with my feet.]

[Alicia] <i>By the end of April,</i>

<i>all the Chinese migrants we filmed</i>

<i>came to the US-Mexico border</i> <i>one after another.</i>

<i>If they are lucky,</i>

<i>they can cross the border in a single day,</i>

<i>but they may also have to</i> <i>hide in the bushes</i>

<i>for more than a week</i> <i>to avoid Mexican border police.</i>

[Cindy]<i> I don’t know how long they’d been driving.</i>

<i>We were in the car from</i> <i>early morning to late at night.</i>

<i>Then we walked to a very dark place,</i>

<i>but ultimately,</i> <i>we were spotted by the Mexican police.</i>

<i>We had to run.</i>

<i>That section of road was uneven</i>

<i>and there were a lot of cactus thorns,</i>

<i>I stepped in five of them.</i>

<i>They went right into the sole of my foot.</i>

<i>It hurt so much,</i>

<i>but I didn’t dare scream.</i>

<i>I don’t know how long we waited.</i>

<i>I just lay on the ground.</i>

<i>I lay my head on a bag</i> <i>and looked up at the sky.</i>

<i>It was such a starry night.</i>

<i>Everyone else was wondering</i> <i>whether the police had left.</i>

<i>whether they could keep going.</i>

<i>But I wasn't thinking about that.</i>

<i>At that moment,</i> <i>I just lay there quietly</i>

<i>and enjoyed the tranquility</i> <i>of that moment.</i>

[Yu] <i>You wait for a car</i> <i>in the afternoon,</i>

<i>and it takes you directly to another place.</i>

<i>Then you change cars again,</i>

<i>and again.</i>

<i>Then you arrive at the border.</i>

<i>When we arrived at the border,</i>

<i>we just waited by the river,</i>

<i>where drones and helicopters</i>

<i>were flying all around.</i>

<i>I forgot whether it was half an hour</i> <i>or an hour.</i>

<i>They send them out in groups,</i>

<i>in a small boat,</i>

<i>which could only hold about</i>

<i>a dozen people at a time.</i>

<i>They were taking drugs</i>

<i>while smuggling us.</i>

<i>A bunch of drug addicts.</i>

<i>The boat had an engine</i>

<i>that needed constant pulling.</i>

<i>In the end they couldn't even</i>

<i>crank up the engine anymore.</i>

[Cindy] <i>You just keep marching forward,</i>

<i>and now you’re</i> <i>at the end of the journey,</i>

<i>and you see the US is right over there.</i>

<i>You still have to be miserable</i>

<i>to get across the finish line.</i>

<i>Have you seen a safety ring like a tire?</i>

<i>They inflated the tire.</i>

<i>We held on to it.</i>

<i>Swam like kids, paddling.</i>

<i>If you could swim, you'd swim over.</i>

<i>And climb up onto the shore yourself.</i>

<i>Then you see the cornfield.</i>

<i>Texas is on the other side</i>

<i>of the cornfield.</i>

[Alicia] <i>After arriving in the United States,</i>

<i>Chinese migrants are quickly taken</i>

<i>to an immigration detention center</i>

<i>by US Border Patrol</i>

<i>and temporarily lose contact</i>

<i>with the outside world.</i>

<i>It wasn’t until a week later</i>

<i>that I finally received news from everyone.</i>

[Ding’s Douyin] We’re here! Here!

We made it!

We made it to the US!

[Lee] <i>I was worried for a few days.</i>

<i>When I got out,</i>

<i>both our parents were relieved.</i>

<i>He was relieved too.</i>

[man with foot injury] <i>When I saw</i> <i>the American flag waving,</i>

<i>I felt very excited and energized.</i>

<i>All the suffering I have experienced</i>

<i>is worth</i>

<i>what I have today.</i>

[Ding] <i>This is f**king America.</i>

<i>I wanted to swear.</i>

<i>This is f**king America.</i>

<i>How on earth did I make it to the US?</i>

[“American Dream” by The Talbott Brothers playing]

[Alicia] <i>Arriving in the US</i>

<i>does not mean the end of their journey,</i>

<i>but the beginning of their</i>

<i>long immigration journey.</i>

<i>Eight months later,</i>

<i>I met with them again to find out</i>

<i>how they were doing.</i>

<i>Was it as good as they had expected?</i>

[pastor] Thank you for giving us your sustenance,

so that we can truly feel God’s love

through this food today.

Thank you Lord for being with us

and blessing us, continuing to

lead us at noon today.

Thank you Lord for hearing our prayers,

in the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen.

Amen.

[Alicia] <i>Not long after Yu Chunfei arrived,</i>

<i>he joined a Chinese church</i>

<i>and was baptized as a Christian.</i>

<i>He feels that in addition to</i>

<i>having a local community</i>

<i>that can provide support,</i>

<i>it can also be one of the reasons</i>

<i>for applying for asylum in the US.</i>

[Yu]<i> I volunteer three days a week.</i>

<i>Usually I can come twice a week.</i>

<i>I help with cleaning</i> <i>on Wednesdays and Fridays.</i>

He’s our family.

We are all one family.

Because we all have

the same Father in Heaven.

The sunshine in California

is itself a blessing.

I think about

how I want to live in the United States.

After I get my work authorization,

I want to take the driving exam

and drive a big truck.

I like my life in the US.

But not speaking English

makes life difficult.

[Feng] Forty on No. 2.

[Alicia] <i>While Feng Lianjin was waiting for</i>

<i>his work authorization to be issued,</i>

<i>he got his driver's license</i>

<i>and started delivering packages for a living.</i>

[Feng] <i>These express deliveries</i>

<i>for Temu and Shein,</i>

<i>they came here to develop</i>

<i>these businesses,</i>

<i>and they needed to recruit</i>

<i>a lot of delivery guys.</i>

<i>Express delivery is</i>

<i>a job with a relatively low barrier to entry.</i>

<i>All you need is a car</i>

<i>and a driver's license.</i>

<i>It feels like they are a little crazier</i>

<i>than when we first arrived.</i>

There are many drivers who are older

and have gray hair.

Suddenly, the competition is growing.

And now the unit price is relatively low,

We are being exploited.

I used to get paid two dollars per delivery,

but now it's only 1.80 dollar.

So if you wanted to make 200 dollars per day,

you would need to deliver

about 100 packages.

Before, I needed to deliver 100 packages,

now it’s about 110.

Too many Chinese here now.

Everyone wants a job.

Seeing so many Chinese,

I feel like I want to go back to China.

[Feng] <i>My family started persuading me</i>

<i>to go back as soon as I set out</i>

<i>and kept at it my entire journey.</i>

<i>But once I got here and settled down,</i>

<i>they let up.</i>

Once he enters the United States,

he will be protected by

the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

He and everyone else,

just the same as Biden and Trump,

have the right to equal protection

and the right to due process.

[Alicia] <i>Immigration lawyer</i> <i>Huang Xiaosheng explained that</i>

<i>the lengthy legal process</i>

<i>has a huge impact on the lives</i> <i>of immigrants.</i>

During the entire process,

his time in the United States

will be roughly three years at minimum,

eight years if it’s slow,

but possibly up to 10 years.

Eight to ten years is at least

one-eighth of his life.

He can raise his children here,

run a company here,

and drive a truck here to do business.

His life will undergo major changes.

His home country may

become farther and farther away,

so the United States has allowed him

to put down roots.

[Alicia]<i> New York is another city</i>

<i>that Chinese migrants are drawn to.</i>

<i>There are many immigrants here</i>

<i>and there are many job opportunities.</i>

<i>The colorful fluorescent screens</i> <i>in Times Square</i>

<i>feel like the image of the United States</i>

<i>that Chinese migrants had in their minds</i> <i>before arrival.</i>

<i>After a few transfers on the subway,</i>

<i>I arrived in New York's Chinatown, Flushing.</i>

<i>Unlike in Times Square,</i>

<i>the people walking on the streets here,</i>

<i>the shop signs,</i>

<i>and the occasional conversations</i> <i>from passers-by remind me</i>

<i>more of a small county in China</i>

<i>with stagnant economic development</i>

<i>than the United States.</i>

Hi!

[Alicia] Long time no see.

So cold today. Are you alright?

What do you do for work now?

Looks difficult.

[man with foot injury] It’s ok.

I work at a restaurant.

[Alicia]<i> Because of his foot injury,</i>

<i>he quickly received Medicaid</i>

<i>from New York State,</i>

<i>and applied for political asylum.</i>

[man with foot injury] The master calendar hearing was held.

[Alicia] Are you waiting for the individual hearing?

Do you know the time for that?

[man with foot injury] No.

[Alicia] Not yet? Still waiting.

That’s not so bad, right?

[man with foot injury] All in all,

the humanitarian assistance here

is still very good,

even for people like us

who entered the United States illegally.

[Alicia] Did you get treatment for your foot?

Yeah. They treated it.

[Alicia] That’s good.

[man with foot injury] I have always longed for

a democratic and free country.

That doesn’t discriminate against

disadvantaged groups.

To be honest,

if you don’t have a very

privileged family,

or if you don’t have exceptional talent

in a certain field,

such as academically,

it would be almost impossible

to come to the United States.

Except in this way.

[Alicia] What is your dream here?

[man with foot injury] My dream is to have a business here,

my very own.

[Alicia] <i>Cindy, the girl we met on the road,</i>

<i>rents a house in Flushing</i>

<i>with other Chinese immigrants.</i>

<i>A private room costs</i> <i>700 dollars per month.</i>

<i>She usually commutes by kick scooter and bus.</i>

<i>For several months,</i>

<i>she has been looking for a job</i>

<i>on Chinese information platforms.</i>

I’ve viewed every post on this website.

I've asked all of these.

All rejected.

They want someone with experience,

or who can file taxes.

I can’t apply.

You see?

So many.

I’ve been asking for jobs

for a long time, but got no responses.

These are the early messages.

I applied for so many.

All rejected.

Everyday...

I search again and again.

Whenever I’m free I’m searching for jobs.

I only tell my family good news.

Painkillers.

It costs me 25 dollars, so expensive.

[Alicia]<i> Cindy stayed in the thick forest</i>

<i>on the US-Mexico border</i> <i>for nine days,</i>

<i>and the foot injury she got then</i>

<i>continues to affect her life.</i>

What do you think made you

persist in getting here

and then continue to try to stay?

What motivates you?

A belief.

Just like what I told you over there,

I said that I yearn for freedom.

I think I can be free here.

That’s why I persisted

in coming.

It’s actually very freeing.

Why?

Everyone is minding their own business.

No one cares about you at all.

How can you not be free?

[Alicia] <i>When I met up with Lee and Ivan again,</i>

<i>they agreed to appear on camera.</i>

[Lee] We are legally married here.

We want to let people like us know

of our experiences.

They can also consider getting married

somewhere else.

[Ivan] I hope LGBTQ+ people in China know

that they can if they want to.

There are more options,

if they want to.

We want to offer our experience for their consideration.

[Alicia] <i>They found jobs in a dessert shop in New York,</i>

<i>rented a place together,</i>

<i>and got married successfully.</i>

<i>Everything seems to be on track,</i>

<i>but sometimes they still</i> <i>miss their life in China,</i>

<i>especially their family and their six dogs.</i>

It’s very difficult.

You miss your dogs.

Aww gentleman.

Is it a boy or a girl?

Boy.

He looks exactly like her.

Are they the same size？

Say hello.

She loves her cheeks.

She loves a butt scratch too.

He just sheds a lot.

[Lee] <i>I think the situation here in the US</i>

<i>is actually not much different from</i>

<i>what I had imagined before.</i>

<i>The US developed relatively early,</i>

<i>its infrastructure may look relatively old,</i>

<i>but what can I say?</i>

<i>The subway operates 24 hours a day,</i>

<i>which I didn’t expect.</i>

<i>I thought it would just stop running at midnight,</i>

<i>just like in China.</i>

<i>Other aspects are similar to what I expected,</i>

<i>including our jobs.</i>

[Alicia] <i>Lawyer Huang, who is a first-generation</i> <i>immigrant himself,</i>

<i>once read me the famous inscription</i> <i>on the Statue of Liberty.</i>

[Huang] <i>Give me your tired,</i>

<i>your poor,</i>

<i>your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.</i>

<i>your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.</i>

<i>It means, if you are oppressed, come to America.</i>

<i>Mr. Li, who once said that the Statue of Liberty</i>

<i>was calling him to come to the US,</i>

<i>refused to meet with me.</i>

[Mr. Li] <i>The American dream</i>

<i>that I had completely shattered,</i>

<i>and it’s not as beautiful as I imagined.</i>

<i>I'm completely working class here,</i>

<i>at the bottom rung of society.</i>

<i>It's not as good as the inscription</i>

<i>on the Statue of Liberty.</i>

[Cindy] <i>Life can't be measured by</i>

<i>whether it’s “worth it” or not.</i>

<i>During this period,</i>

<i>there were gains</i>

<i>and losses,</i>

<i>and more importantly, sadness.</i>

[Feng]<i> I think it’s probably worth it.</i>

<i>If I had to choose again,</i>

<i>I would still come here.</i>

<i>After all,</i>

<i>the three-year Zero-Covid period</i>

<i>was pretty harsh.</i>

[Ding] <i>Hope is like planting a seed.</i>

<i>It will grow without limit.</i>

[Yu] <i>I think walking the line</i>

<i>was the best decision I've</i> <i>ever made in my life.</i>

[Lee] <i>You have to respect every choice</i> <i>you make in your life.</i>

<i>No matter where you go,</i>

<i>you have to consider</i>

<i>whether you will regret</i>

<i>your decision in the future.</i>

<i>Don't regret the decision you made,</i>

<i>you can only look forward.</i>

[Alicia] <i>Even though I went through this journey</i>

<i>with these migrants,</i>

<i>I still can't imagine</i>

<i>how much more they will pay</i>

<i>for freedom.</i>

<i>Can this land</i>

<i>allow them to continue to live their lives here?</i>

-[Biden] <i>Today, I'm announcing actions to bar migrants</i> -[Trump] <i>Our border is an open and gushing wound.</i>

-[Biden] <i>who cross our southern border unlawfully</i> -[Trump] <i>It's pouring drugs, gangs, terrorists</i>

-[Biden] <i>from receiving asylum.</i> -[Trump] <i>and millions and millions of illegal aliens</i>

-[Biden] <i>from receiving asylum.</i> -[Trump] <i>into our country.</i>

Chinese Embassy Spokesperson's Remarks： “The Chinese government firmly opposes all forms of illegal immigration... It should be noted that the issue of illegal immigration is an international one...China firmly opposes the US media and politicians using the issue as a pretext to smear and scapegoat China.”

Many changes in every aspect of this route have occurred since we filmed the documentary, making the journey more difficult and more dangerous than ever.