It is not as simple as getting into a vehicle and driving across a bridge. People literally expose themselves, their families and their friends to the heat of the deserts of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas or to the waters of the Rio Grande, which divides the United States territory from Mexico. Some of the most common risks illegal immigrants face when crossing the border are drowning in the waters of the Rio Grande and dying from dehydration in the heat of the borderline deserts. Other risks that people expose themselves to during this journey are snakebites, alligator bites and starvation.
People literally walk the desserts and river with limited food and supplies.
Sometimes the immigrants are taken to an isolated house where they are fed and provided with a roof to sleep under the first day. Dangerous waters to cross. Usually these journeys are made at night to avoid the border patrol. Illegal immigrants trust their futures to coyotes, who are complete strangers. There have been countless cases where the coyote breaks his deal and leaves people stranded in the desert without a clue on which way to go and without any food and water.