Marco Estrada’s father fled the family when he discovered Estrada’s mother, Marissa, was pregnant, leaving her to raise Marco on her own.
When Marco was five, their hometown of Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, Mexico, was flipped upside down. The narcotics trade had hit. Violence and death stalked streets where peace and happiness once flourished. When Marco’s mom was forced to watch as the kids in their neighborhood turned to drug use, she knew it was time to pack up their life and get out. On Marco’s sixth birthday, they hit the road. Marissa’s sister and her husband, who were living in Los Angeles, came to pick them up and take them to their new life over the border.