May 8, 2023. Ciudad Juárez – El Paso, Texas.

As Title 42 was coming to an end, temperatures rose above 100°F (38°C). After days of waiting in line, the gate in the border wall opened intermittently every few hours. Border Patrol agents and National Guard escorted small groups of new arrivals through the passage toward a white bus waiting on the other side.

Many believed they were being let into the United States. Instead, after processing, they were returned to Ciudad Juárez. At the gate, they were asked to give up their remaining belongings; what they carried was thrown away or burned. They crossed with empty hands.

"Come hell or high water."