Marooned in Matamoros, Part 2

Post Reports

In February 2020, Washington Post reporter Arelis R. Hernández walked across the bridge from Brownsville, Tex., to Matamoros, Mexico, two sister cities along the international border with the glistening green Rio Grande snaking between them.

Up on the levee, a breathtaking sight unfolded before her: a makeshift migrant camp full of thousands of asylum seekers from all over Latin America forced by the Trump administration to wait in Mexico while they plead their cases.

There in the camp, Hernández met a woman from El Salvador named Nancy and her two teenage children. Nancy had a chilling story to tell about how she wound up there — and why she feared she would never get out.

In this special two-part series, Hernández and producer Ted Muldoon explore what Nancy’s story reveals about the real-world impact of the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy.

In Part 2, the Biden administration comes into office promising change. But change can’t come soon enough for Nancy, whose desperation has only deepened after 16 months in the camp.

To find photos and videos of Nancy's journey and her life in the camp, visit wapo.st/nancy. Listen to Part 1 of the series here.

Read more:

Hear more of Hernández’s ride-along with the Hidalgo County Constable’s office in this March 2021 episode of Post Reports, or read about it here.