Summary

In Chapter 19—“Alien 27041999”—the narration reveals that when Joseph arrived America, instead of showing his visa at the customs and immigration checkpoint, he instead said that he wanted to apply for temporary asylum. He was determined to stay in the United States for only a few weeks before return got Haiti. He was interviewed by an immigration officer, and he explained the situation in Haiti that posed a threat to his life and safety. In spite of their valid visas, Joseph and Maxo were then sent to Krome Detention Center. Edwidge notes in narration that Joseph was likely processed using biased and unfair immigration policies that specifically discriminated against immigrants from Haiti, while immigrants from other countries, such as Cuba, were admitted with relatively few bureaucratic obstacles. In Chapter 20—“Tomorrow”—after Joseph was detained, Mira’s health continued to gradually worsen. Meanwhile, Joseph’s...