Words and photos by Roberto Rosales - ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL staff photographer

We were in Palomas, Mexico, working on a story, and I told reporter Lauren Villagran about a town where most of the immigration stories I use to cover were located; this town called Las Chepas. I was interested to see if the town survived after all the violence and the lack of immigration in the past years. I was introduced to Las Chepas approximately 12 years ago when I met immigrants from all over the southern states of Mexico, many from Veracruz, waiting to board school buses in the main plaza of Palomas for the 16-mile drive west to this small border town. It was in Las Chepas that the immigrants would prepare for their treacherous journey across the border and into the United States.

In late January of 2015 Lauren and myself made our way to Las Chepas. The last time I was there was 2010 and I didn’t know what to expect of this once active border town. Lauren and I were short on time because we were losing daylight. The road from Palomas to Las Chepas is unlit and in years past, rumored to be dangerous for anyone to travel at night. Foot and car traffic was always done during the day. We spoke to one of the original members of the town, Ramon Marquez, and he described how the town arrived at its current vacant condition. He told us it was a combination of violence, town members immigrating to the US, and the decrease of immigrants coming through the town, that caused the economy of the town to dry up. The increased border security at the area made it to difficult for hopeful immigrants to attempt to cross, and they went to other border towns and areas. We left the town that same night but decided one more trip was needed to talk to the remaining people that call Las Chepas home. We returned two weeks later where we met more residents who told us their stories. Lauren’s full story on the change seen in Las Chepas can be read here: Las Chepas: A whisper of life remains. The following are my thoughts and memories of the town back then and now.

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