Forty years ago, military-backed death squads descended on Dora Rodriguez’ hometown as a civil war spiraled out of control in El Salvador. Forced to flee as a teenager and leave her family behind, Rodriguez began what she thought would be the only journey north through Mexico and into the harsh Sonoran Desert. In this episode, Dora recounts her harrowing start-stop passage across the desert, predatory smugglers that nearly cost her life, and an unlikely relationship with a man from the other side of the wall.

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

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Produced by Clarke Tolton, Grace Heerman, Mike Martinez, and Tyler Wray.

Sound Design by George Drake Jr.

Music by Mike Etten

Intro/Outro music by Anand Wilder

For more about this story, including photos by Clarke Tolton, visit everythingisstories.com.

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