La Fuga

My broadside is a commentary on immigration and undocumented status, based on my own experiences growing up in the United States as a formerly undocumented immigrant from Mexico.

This piece was inspired by Loteria!, a popular bingo-like game in Mexico and one I played often as a child. I was inspired by the parallels I saw between this game and the experiences of those immigrating to the United States, and how much the concept of luck played a role in successfully immigrating and integrating into life in this country. In Loteria!, each card has an image and a word that corresponds to it, and my piece renders a new card depicting a family’s journey crossing the border. I used an image often found on cautionary road signs along the US-Mexican border of a family – a father, mother and daughter – with the words “La Fuga,” which translates to “The Flight.”

What I hope my broadside conveys is the idea that, for many people leaving their home countries, immigrating to the United States is an escape from unsafe, uninhabitable, and often inhumane conditions. But even after arriving, the constant need to “flee” never goes away – simply living in the United States as an undocumented individual gives rise to fears of conventional roadblocks, detainment for minor traffic violations, and repercussions for contesting unfair conditions in the work environment, all in the hopes of avoiding or delaying deportation.

- Monica Acosta, Scripps College '18