2023-09-23 23:33:56
During the weeks that Yeison and Nico took to emigrate from Venezuela to the United Statesthey traveled through dangerous jungles and passed over a corpse.
They have become so inseparable that Yeison sold his cell phone so that they both had enough money to continue their bus trip. As Yeison prepares to finally enter the United States, he may have to leave Nico behind. And all because Nico is a squirrel.
This 23-year-old man and his pet are an unusual but stark reflection of the emotional choices migrants make about what to take – and what to leave behind – when they embark on the dangerous journey north.
Yeison, who declined to identify himself by his last name out of fear for his family’s safety in Venezuela, said going without Nico was not an option. But in Mexico they could be forced to part ways.
Yeison, who is one of millions of Venezuelans fleeing political and economic instability in their country, secured an appointment to appear at the border and request asylum in the U.S. Animals are not normally allowed to cross the border. “(It would be) again starting practically from scratch without Nico,” said Yeison, determined not to leave his pet.
Take what you can
Many of those who undertake the journey of approximately 4,800 kilometers to the border On the other side of the Rio Grande they do it with what they can carry and with their loved ones. In Yeison’s case, it is a squirrel with a black stripe and specks of white fur, who traveled inside a red knit hat inside a backpack.
Nico the squirrel traveled with Yeison in a backpack. Photo: AP
For six months, Yeison and Nico lived in a tent in a settlement with hundreds of other migrants in Matamoros. They are across the border from the city of Brownsville, Texas, located hundreds of kilometers east of Eagle Pass that had entered an emergency due to the flow of migrants.
On a recent day, Nico climbed onto Yeison’s shoulders and stayed close as he ran around the store. The chances of Yeison being able to take Nico across the border are slim, but the camp volunteers aren’t giving up.
Gladys Cañas, director of the NGO Ayudiendoles A Triunfar, said she has met others who wanted to spend time with their pets, cats, dogs and even a rabbit once. But never, until now, with a squirrel.
Cañas helped Yeison contact a veterinarian to document the animal’s vaccinations so he could present them to border agents. He hopes to be allowed through, either with Yeison or a volunteer. “There is a connection between him and the squirrel, so much so that she preferred to bring it rather than leave it with the family in Venezuela and face the problems that the migratory journey entails. They gave each other courage,” she says.
Yeison recalled that he found the squirrel one day when he almost stepped on it in Venezuela. She looked like a newborn and Yeison took her home, where she baptized her Nico and her family fed her yogurt. The demanding pet, according to Yeison, prefers to nibble on pine trees and feeds on tomatoes and mangoes, even during times when they are difficult to obtain.
Venezuelans who emigrate take their most precious belongings. Yeison took the squirrel away from him. Photo: AP
At first, Yeison looked for work in Colombia. When she returned, she found that Nico had a pine splinter in his eye, and she decided that she should take care of it and travel with him to the US.
The dangerous Darien jungle
Like thousands of migrants, Yeison had to cross the dangerous Darien jungle, where he said he found the body of a man. According to his story, she hid Nico in a backpack when they boarded buses and to pass inspections at checkpoints in Mexico.
But on one occasion, a bus driver discovered the squirrel and made him pay more so that the animal could remain on board. Yeison sold her cell phone for $35 to cover that cost.
Once they arrived at the settlement of Matamoros, the couple became accustomed to the routine. Yeison earns money cutting hair next to her shop and often falls asleep sharing a pillow with Nico at night.
“What I wouldn’t want is for him to be separated from me, because I know that if he gets sick, I get sick,” Yeison said.
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