Student Excellence in Photojournalism, Photo story
Huiyee Chiew, “Chasing the American Dream Under Trump,” New Lines Magazine
ABOUT THE WORK: This is a story about the Li family. I’m privileged to have spent over three months documenting the life of this Chinese asylum-seeking family in New York City. The parents along with their three-year-old son, left China in early 2024, crossed the Darien Gap, and arrived in the United States in May 2024.
Originally from Jiangsu, an eastern province of China, Li, 30, and Liu, 29, had a stable life with their son, who was still a toddler. But Li felt stifled, unable to speak freely about the government or society. Then he was arrested and accused of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” As evidence of his crime, the police held a stack of A4 papers — documents showing how he had circumvented a government-imposed firewall to criticize the Chinese Communist Party. He was detained for around 10 days.
After being released, Li began hatching a plan to take his young family to the United States. He found a popular route online: the Darien Gap.
In early 2024, the family embarked on the first leg of the journey, flying from China to Thailand. From there, the three flew to Turkey, then Egypt and, eventually, Colombia. It was there that they began to prepare for the most dangerous and demanding part of the journey: crossing the Darien Gap, a 60-mile stretch of nearly impenetrable rainforest terrain between Panama and Colombia. After three months, they crossed the border into the U.S. sometime in May 2024.
“Life would be torturous if you are not here for freedom and human rights,” Li said.
Looking back, Liu recalls realizing she was pregnant only after a physical checkup in Los Angeles. Worried yet surprised, she recalled the family enduring an arduous journey, walking for hours with barely enough food. Yet the baby survived.
“She was still in my womb, without miscarriage. It is a miracle,” she said. And this is just the beginning of the chase of their American dream.
Huiyee Chiew (周慧儀) is an award-winning journalist focusing on human rights and immigration. She received her master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School, specializing in investigative reporting.
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