The dead bodies haunt Wislande Philippe.
“There were so many who died,” said Phillipe, 29. “Pregnant women. Children. You’re walking past them and there’s nothing you can do help them.”
Philippe is one of thousands of Haitians who have taken a perilous 11-country journey from Brazil to reach the United States.
In some cases, the migrants were living in Brazil, which welcomed Haitians after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, but now with the country’s failing economy many are fleeing poverty there in the hopes of a better life in the U.S.
Also, as attempts to reach the U.S. via the water has become increasingly difficult because of Coast Guard interceptions -- Haitian migrants and their smugglers are opting to come by land through Brazil to San Diego, California.
Philippe took the trek with her boyfriend Alexi Milki. At night they slept alongside rivers and in bushes.