At the Foot of the Wall (Swiss Press Text 2018, by Valerie Von Graffenried) - Swiss Press Award
Le Temps
Valerie Von Graffenried
The wall which President Donald Trump wants to build along the border between the USA and Mexico, already exists. It divides small towns, runs through the ancestral lands of the Native Americans, and has claimed over 3000 lives since 1988. However, this does not prevent tens of thousands of South American migrants every year from attempting the crossing in the hope of realizing their American dream. The America correspondent of Le Temps took a road trip along the wall and wrote a wide-ranging report vividly illustrating this reality. To breathe life into the statistics and put a face on the affected, she accompanied a Border Patrol officer, and met members of the Native American tribe of the “desert people”; she visited an NGO that restores the identities of those who have died; she sought out people traffickers and took in the oppressive atmosphere of Mexican border towns.
Interview with Valerie Von Graffenried
