Jean-Luc and the ship’s captain had an arrangement with their contacts at the Miami port that involved moving the marked container to a specific terminal. Once the checks had been carried out and the containers had been off-loaded, the immigrants would remain in the container until sunset. Once port activities had died down and most employees had gone home for the day, one of the officials would unlock the container, allowing the immigrants to make an exit. Once released, the immigrants would be escorted to a nearby van and then dropped off at a specified location in the city.
There was always a possibility for things to go wrong. For example, if any of the port officials involved in the scam weren’t able to make it into work, the entire operation could fall apart. The marked container could be checked by an officer not involved in the scam. The immigrants would be discovered, and the entire operation would be exposed. Even changes to shift patterns or assignments could cause problems. The plan would fail if someone responsible for manning the security cameras was suddenly given a different assignment by a shift supervisor who wasn’t part of the racket. If anyone noticed that people were being moved from a container and into a van, it would be catastrophic.
When the container was opened to let them in, Guillermo was shocked to find there were at least twenty other people in there. Anna was quite anxious, and the pregnancy didn’t make the situation any more bearable. It had been a long trip, and everyone was exhausted. Guillermo, his family, and the man from their living quarters went into the container as instructed. Jean-Luc switched the fan on and warned the passengers to remain quiet. The container doors were shut and locked from the outside.
About ten minutes later, voices could be heard from outside the container. The Captain and Jean-Luc had been showing the US port officers around the ship. By the tone of their voices, it didn’t sound as though the US officers that had boarded the ship on this day were aware of any arrangements made by the ship’s crew. They sounded very stern and professional. Everyone with Guillermo heard the sound of containers being locked and unlocked, and the sounds were getting closer and closer.
It didn’t seem as though their container would be exempt from the search. The port officers didn’t sound as corrupt as Jean-Luc had implied. They questioned the Captain and Jean-Luc in a manner that would lead anyone to believe they had never met. For the illegal passengers, this only made a stressful situation more so. Half an hour later the initial checks were completed. Further checks would be done once the containers were offloaded. All the US personnel exited the vessel, and the illegal passengers could no longer hear the voices. Anna was growing more and more anxious.
“Anna, everything will be okay, we will be okay. We have made it this far, there is nothing to worry about,” Guillermo said.
“How do you know that? How do we know that the doors of this container won’t be kicked open by the Americans at any moment?” Anna said.
“Please my love, try to relax, we do not want to scare Isabel. Just pray silently, okay? You have your rosary beads, don’t you?” Guillermo asked.
“Yes, I do. Isabel, don’t you worry, my dear, everything will be okay, and we will be in our new home soon,” said Anna.
An hour later everyone in the container heard loud clanging noises coming from the doors. The tension heightened, as no one was sure what was going to happen next. After a few more loud noises, the container doors flew open, and to everyone’s relief it was Jean-Luc.
He assured everyone that things were going according to plan. He informed them that within the next couple of hours the container was going to be lifted off the ship and lowered down into the dockyard. He explained the container would be lifted by its four corners, and they would feel some movement but nothing too dangerous. He stated how important it was for everyone to remain quiet while this was going on. Everyone nodded in agreement. The doors were again locked from the outside, and the people waited.
“You see, Anna, everything is okay, we will be fine. Are you okay, Isabel?” Guillermo asked.
“Yes, Papa,” replied Isabel.
To Isabel this was still all one big adventure. Guillermo had thought about everything that could go wrong. Back home, he’d seen on the news and read in the papers about how illegal immigrants were sometimes sold into forced labour or prostitution. There was also the possibility of getting arrested and their child being sent to social services. He wasn’t oblivious to the possible outcomes, and this made him anxious. However, he managed to keep his composure.
About two hours after Jean-Luc’s announcement, there was more clanging and jangling. The noise was much louder than the first time. This was followed by a series of loud thuds from the four upper corners of the container. The passengers braced themselves and remained silent. No one wanted to be responsible for jeopardizing the plan. Eventually, the container started to move.
The passengers grasped onto loops made of rope that had been placed around the container. Isabel couldn’t reach the ropes, so she held on to Guillermo. The passengers felt the container rise, turn 180 degrees, then stop. They were suspended in mid-air for fifteen minutes before they started moving again. The container gradually descended. As it settled on the ground, the passengers breathed sighs of relief. More noises came from outside the container—squeaking, screeching, thudding. The thuds were produced by the giant claws releasing the container. The giant orange box was finally resting on US soil.
The passengers
