An American Dream by Sara Hylton

Public Story

An American Dream

Copyright Sara Hylton 2024

Date of Work Jan 2017 - Ongoing

Updated Feb 2019

Location McAllen, Texas

Topics Disability, Documentary, Family, Film, Health/Healing, Human Rights, Illness, Immigration, Isolation, Joy, Landscape, Latin America, Love, Migration, Minority, Motherhood, Parenting & Family, Photography, Photojournalism, Portraiture, Pregnancy/Birth, Workers Rights

Juana (name changed), a 33-year-old mother of four originally from Mexico has been living in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas for eight years as an undocumented migrant. She gave birth to a child with a rare genetic disorder. Juana did not know about this disorder before giving birth. Once her daughter, Veronica (name changed), was brought into the world, she learned about the disease through google.

Juana and her husband both pick onions and do agricultural work, where they make $7.50 US dollars per hour. They struggle to support their family and live amidst an increasing crackdown on undocumented migrants. Though Juana cannot take her daughter to see a specialist due to checkpoints, she still receives medical support from Medicaid and has a nurse who comes to her home daily.

With support from the Rita & Alex Hillman Foundation, this project explores the isolating, painful, yet joyful life of this family while also considering the wider political context of what it means to live on the US-Mexico border.

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Sara Hylton

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