Migrants staying in taxpayer-funded hotels are usually only in Tucson for a day or two before moving on elsewhere in the country.
The hotels are paid for with federal tax dollars, not local or state money.
Their journey continues at a local bus stop outside of one of the city’s migrant hotels.
Migrants gather with their travel documents in hand, and flight itineraries mapped out for them on papers provided by Casa Alitas.
Adam Klepp Even as the come from all over the world, they all have similar stories about the issues in their countries.
“Right now in Guatemala, it is very difficult,” one migrant said. “There was a lot of corruption. A lot of corruption in the government.”
Some migrants get tired of waiting for the public buses that come about once every twenty minutes.
They hail local cabs or sometimes even call ride shares.
Adam Klepp They all hope where they are going is better than where they left from.
“I left Mexico because there was a lot of violence. It was very difficult. And also there was no work,” a Mexican migrant said.