Remembering a Childhood Border Crossing

Sandra Portilla / Photo StoryCorps

The mission of StoryCorps is “to preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.”

This recent StoryCorps interview with Sandra Portilla of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota more that meets those goals.

Sandra recounts her unauthorized journey across the U.S.-Mexico border as a young child. It’s a gripping 3 minute interview.

Sandra’s walk took eight hours. Fellow travelers ended up carrying Sandra, her sister, and her mom part of the way across the desert. “If it wasn’t for those two good men in our lives that came at the moment that we most needed them I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

The brevity of the interview coupled with its high emotional impact make it an ideal tool for a class on unauthorized migration.

-KitJ