Viacrucis Migrante - Migrant Crossing

"Via Crucis Migrante - migrant crossing" tells the stories of Central American migrants. They explain by themselves why they are risking their lives on a journey through one of the most dangerous countries in the world.
The spectator accompanies them to a migrant shelter on their way, which is run by Franciscans. But even in this safe space of the Catholic Church they don't find a rest. The protagonists meet other migrants who have experienced deportations, raids, sexual violence and attacks. Among them, women, families and transgender persons who apply for asylum in Mexico because the way north seems to be too dangerous.
Extreme poverty and crime are the main reasons why the migrants left their countries of origin. Their stories are about dealing with poverty, violence and discrimination in Central America. The faith in God helps most of them getting through discrimination and ill-treatment. They tell the viewers of the situations in their home country’s and the dangers that they face while traveling through Mexico: systematic checks by the police, deportations, humiliations, physical violence and kidnappings with hundreds of thousands of victims every year.
They tell how their faith carries them through the martyrdom of the trip. In the interpretation of the fathers they suffer like Jesus on the way to the cross. This trust in God might seem naive to some viewers but the migrants find clear words to explain their situation and combine their faith with the international agenda. Fleeing from poverty, violence and the search for a better life, they feel having the right to migrate. The film also tells about the commitment of Catholic clergy who repeatedly risk their lives for their commitment to the migrants.
On Good Friday, the hostel organized a demonstration in order to sensitize the people of Mexico and to demand a dignified treatment of migrants by the Migration Police. Simultaneously, the migrants set off for the United States. They are aware of the dangers of over 1,700 kilometer journey. They carry their cross through Mexico. Whether they will achieve their goal, no one knows.