Life and death for mother and daughter on U.S.-Mexico border - Los Angeles Times
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The Times podcast: Losing Rosario

A framed photo of a woman sits beside a statuette, flowers and a candle
A shrine dedicated to Rosario Yanira Girón de Orellana of El Salvador at the Texas home of her sister Maria Huezo.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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The U.S. has seen a historic number of illegal border crossings this summer — a 21-year high, according to federal figures. Why is this happening? One reason: Thousands of migrants are waiting in northern Mexico — some for months — to claim asylum in the U.S. because President Biden extended a Trump-era pandemic policy that effectively bars them from entering the country.

In Mexico, the migrants — many from Central America — are at risk of being kidnapped, extorted or killed by smugglers. Yet more decide to make the dangerous journey to the border every day, seeking refuge in the U.S.

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41-year-old El Salvador native Rosario Yanira Girón de Orellana was one of them. Her body was found on a ranch in Texas in June. This is her story.

Host: L.A. Times national correspondent Molly Hennessy-Fiske

More reading:

Losing Rosario: A mother sent her daughter across the border. Before they could reunite, one died

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La muerte de Rosario: Una madre envió a su hija al otro lado de la frontera. Ella falleció antes de que pudieran reunirse

Why Border Patrol is doing more to rescue and identify missing migrants

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