Mexico Illegal immigrant theme park gives taste of perilous trip across the US border

A remarkable video has shown a rare glimpse into the experience of illegal migrants who make the perilous journey across Mexico’s border into the US.

Located in El Alberto, Mexico, The EcoAlberto theme park gives tourists a chance to live through a simulated clandestine border crossing. Now, for the first time, this unusual tourist attraction has been caught on tape.

Amateur documentary makers took a video camera into the theme park to show just how dangerous it is for the tens of thousands of migrants crossing hazardous terrain each year hoping for better opportunities in the U.S.

The video follows “Poncho”, who plays a “coyote” (people smuggler) as he takes the tourists in a mad rush. “Quick!” he shouts. He tells the women to go first, then tells the men to “Run, run, run”.

Poncho explains that the tourists go through only about 5% of 
what an actual migrant lives through while attempting to traverse the Rio Grande. Conditions are harsh, he says.

There are tunnels, canyons, snakes, spiders, poisonous plants, and mud, he explains. The migrants have no food or water and often have to ride on top of a moving train or trek through freezing cold deserts.