White Coyote

Carlos is a young, naïve Mexican that is propositioned by his cousin to earn as much money in a week as he makes in two months. In order to do this he must leave his home, family and friends and take a dangerous trip on foot through the Sonoran Desert to cross the border to work in the U.S. To put his family’s fears at rest, he talks his witless, punchy uncle Jorge into accompanying him on this journey. They put their trust in the hands of a guide (coyote) recommended by his cousin. The guide is only referred to as the White Coyote. Coyotes are the nameless guides that for a price will get you through the desert and over the border; presumably without getting you caught, killed or lost. You can never trust a coyote, but Carlos doesn’t trust this one in particular. He is called the White Coyote because he is not only a coyote, but also an American. Carlos and Jorge join a group of forty-nine other men and women for this journey. Not all of them make it over the border. There are squabbles over money, an attempted assault and one man has a heart attack and he and his nephew get left behind. When they finally reach the Arizona border, the group is abducted by an autonomous group of coyotes that shoot the group’s White Coyote and leave him for dead. They take over the trip and are as unconscionable as the White Coyote. More people are left behind, but the journey continues to a holding house where small bugs become their worst nightmares. The White Coyote, surprisingly not dead, fakes the new bandits out and reclaims his people. He finishes the job he was hired to do. Carlos and Jorge ultimately make it to their final destination of Dayton, Ohio. It becomes a bittersweet success as Carlos reflects on those who didn’t make it through. In the end, ICE Agents raid the company he’s working at and send him back to his starting point: Mexico.