A Reverse Ellis Island
A city at the southern tip of Mexico has become the place where migrants’ dreams go to die.
Photographer Lisette Poole captured the story of Julio Borrell, a Cuban who had lived in Miami for 46 years, as he faced deportation to Tapachula, Mexico. Borrell was among thousands of non-Mexicans deported by the U.S. government, with no clear legal status and nowhere to go. They were bused over 2,000 miles from the U.S. border to Tapachula, a city without legal status for the deportees.
Tapachula has become a mass waiting area for those rebuffed by U.S. immigration policy, effectively relocating the border to the city. The Mexican government denies facilitating deportations, but deportees often arrive without legal status and have nowhere to stay. The city now hosts migrants from various countries, leading some to call it "TapaYork," a reverse Ellis Island. U.S. officials aim for "zero border crossings," but the reality is far from that.
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