Season Four, Episode 02

Dora Rodriguez near her home in Tucson, AZ. Photo by Clarke Tolton.
Dora in the arms of Border Patrol agents as they rescue her from the Arizona desert. Image via The Arizona Daily Star, 1980.
Dora on the road to Sasabe, Sonora Mexico. She often makes the trip multiple times in a week. Photo by Clarke Tolton.
Casa de la Esperanza - Sasabe, Sonora Mexico. Dora continues to help run and volunteer at the migrant resource center.
A traveler checks into Casa de la Esperanza - a resource center in Sasabe, Sonora that provides aid and refuge to migrants passing through. Photo by Clarke Tolton.
Dora and her younger brother Manuel, 1964. Photo courtesy of Dora Rodriguez.
Dora with Jose, another survivor of the desert journey, 1981. Photo courtesy of Dora Rodriguez
In 1980, Dora shared a studio with an Italian friend who was teaching English, while she taught Spanish. Photo courtesy of Dora Rodriguez.
Dora holding one of the children of her sponsor family in Tucson in 1981. Photo courtesy of Dora Rodriguez
Doras' with her bridal cake made by her co-workers at the sewing factory, 1982. Photo courtesy of Dora Rodriguez.
Dora with her oldest son on his first trip to El Salvador. Photo by Clarke Tolton.
Dora visiting her father's family in Phoenix while with her sponsor family, 1980. Photos courtesy of Dora Rodriguez.
Following her first job at McDonalds, Dora was able to secure a position at a sewing factory in Tucson in 1981. Photo courtesy of Dora Rodriguez.
The Arizona Republic, February 1982.
Chicago Tribune, July 1980.
Asbury Park Press, July 1980.
The Arizona Republic, July 1980.
Del Rio News, October 1981.
The Arizona Republic, July 1980.

Season Four, Episode 02

The Shores Of Acheron

The Shores Of Acheron

A story of civil war and a harrowing journey toward a new life.

Forty years ago, as a civil war escalated in her home country of El Salvador, Dora Rodriguez, fearing for her life, was forced to flee political persecution and start her migrant journey north through the unforgiving Sonoran desert. In this episode, Dora recounts her harrowing start-stop passage across the desert, the predatory characters that nearly cost her her life, and her unlikely relationship with a man from the other side of the wall – all for political asylum in the United States.

Produced by Mike Martinez, Tyler Wray, Grace Heerman, and Clarke Tolton. Music by Mike Etten. Sound design by George Drake, Jr.

Photos by Clarke Tolton

You can learn more about Dora and her Tucson, AZ based non-profit organization Salvavision HERE.

*This story has been edited from the original version for safety and editorial purposes.

Transcript
Transcript
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