Social media eases worries for migrants, families

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras - There was cake at little Brithani Lizeth's third birthday party, and also tears.

Though her grandmother and aunt tried to make their simple cinder block home festive, the little girl could not be consoled. She missed her parents.

Orbelina Orellana and Elmer Alberto Cardona were hundreds of miles and two countries away in a small town in southern Mexico, making their way toward the United States with thousands of others in a desperate caravan, leaving their loved ones behind.

Despite the distance, Orellana was able to get a picture and audio recording from her daughter's birthday party in Honduras via WhatsApp and hear the little girl sob: "I love you, Mommy," words that left the mother crushed.

"I didn't even want to get up," she said of the bittersweet moment.

Like thousands of others, Orellana and her husband have relied on social media, text messages and brief cell phone calls to connect with worried loved ones back home as they traverse a country that can often be deadly for migrants.

The birthday recording gave her comfort and courage to continue the difficult journey of nearly 5,000 kilometers by foot, bus and hitchhiking as they head toward the Mexican border city of Tijuana.

At the frontier with San Diego, many in the caravan hope to ask for asylum in the United States, though it could take weeks or months as they take their places at the end of a line of thousands of others in the slow-moving application process.

Years ago the migration trail north could be something of a black box. People might set out and not be heard from again until months later after reaching the US and phoning from a relative's house, or suddenly showing up back home after being caught at the border and deported.

Technology has changed that.

Not everyone in the caravan has a smartphone, and for those who do, coverage can be spotty in the Mexican countryside. At times it's hard to find a hot spot or a charge. But for those who do, they're precious cargo. Many share them with fellow migrants who eagerly log in to Facebook and other apps to send or receive a quick message.

Some NGOs also facilitated free calls home for migrants, with the Red Cross organizing more than 4,000 of them.

Orellana, 26, and Cardona, 27, have tried to call Brithani and her two siblings each evening when the caravan stops for the night, usually to sleep outdoors in public squares.

"I tell her I will always love her... and she tells me not to miss her, that she is going to send for me," said Janeisy Nicolle, the couple's 5-year-old middle daughter.

Nearing Tijuana, the couple said they were still undecided whether they would try to cross into the United States or ask for refuge in Mexico.

And on Sunday their thoughts will again be back home, this time with Janeisy: It's her sixth birthday.

Associated Press