Immigration Reality: Atop A Train, Migrants Begin Dangerous Trek To U.S.

First of a three part series by NPR on Central American migrants' odyssey to the U.S.

Atop A Train, Migrants Begin Dangerous Trek To U.S. : NPR: "Every year, hundreds of thousands of migrants illegally cross from Mexico into the United States. Some of them have traveled thousands of miles to reach American soil. The journey, which was always perilous, has become even more dangerous as Mexican drug cartels strengthen their control over the smuggling, kidnapping and extortion of migrants. In 2010, hundreds of migrants went missing or were killed in Mexico. More than 20,000 were kidnapped.

For many Central American migrants, the grueling journey across Mexico starts in the jungle of northern Guatemala. Migrants who can't legally enter Mexico hike for two days through densely forested hills to cross the border into the Mexican state of Tabasco. Then they head for the railroad tracks that lead into the interior of the country."