1/During the debate you heard that asylum seekers are living in a refugee camp on America's doorstep for the 1st time in history. Some have been there more than 1yr with no formal school for kids. Safety & sanitation are deteriorating. Photos by @IlanaPL https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/23/us/mexico-migrant-camp-asylum.html?smid=tw-share

2/Tent residents are constantly sick with stomach bugs and flu-like viruses. Their skin is pock-marked from heat rashes and the dirty river water. Mosquitos swarm in each time it rains. Some people we met:

3/Worsening things, the pandemic caused US volunteer to stop making regular supply delivery visits. The Gulf Cartel has moved in to fill the void. Stories of beatings and disappearances are increasingly common. 9 bodies have washed ashore recently. Authorities blame the gangs.

4/This baby was born to a mother living in the camp. Her own mom was murdered by gang members. She didn’t have anyone to teach her how to give her newborn child a bath, so she went to the tent of Antonia, an elder of sorts, who showed her how to do it.

5/Alex, 11, told me he misses school and especially science class. He loved to learn about wildlife. He's a US citizen but the rest of his siblings and mother are not, so he's stuck.

6/David turned 6 while we were there. After several months living there, the ppl that had lent his parents money to get to the US started threatening them to pay it back. So his dad crossed illegally and has been working construction in TX. He called to say happy birthday.