The Trade

In the wake of her husband’s execution by MS-13, Magda fears for her life. She flees Honduras with her young daughter, hoping to make it to the United States. In Colorado, restaurant owner Victor prepares his family for life without him as he awaits his next ICE hearing and possible deportation back to Guatemala. Special Agent Ramirez leads a Homeland Security investigation into a smuggling cell in McAllen, Texas.

With MS-13 hot on their trail, Magda and her brother-in-law Rossni attempt to jump onto the Beast, a cargo train that will take them to the U.S. border. A farming family in Mexico mourns the death of their young son Artemio, who drowned while trying to cross the river illegally into the United States. A female coyota maneuvers to smuggle her migrants across the border in any way possible. Special Agent Ramirez apprehends the leader of a local smuggling cell and attempts to further take down their operation.

At the U.S. Border, Magda and Rossni must split with their group to improve their chances of crossing. Marisa, a human rights activist, helps migrants stuck at the border avoid being trafficked. Sochil, a woman who was sexually abused by leaders of La Luz Del Mundo—a powerful church in Mexico and the U.S.—attempts to expose their sex-trafficking network to Mexican authorities. Homeland Security officers from Texas follow a separate potential sex-trafficking case to Ohio, where they confront a suspect about his relationship with a female minor.

Magda and Rossni cross into the United States, but must now figure out how to manage their asylum case and support themselves. Sochil becomes increasingly worried about her family’s safety and questions whether the Mexican government will ever take action against La Luz del Mundo. A pastor in Honduras attempts to broker a truce between MS-13 and a rival gang at great risk to his personal safety. Juana, a grandmother in Santa Barbara with six kids, faces deportation back to Mexico after living in the U.S. for 20 years.