Social Media Is a Critical Cross-Border Lifeline for Some Immigrant Families Monica Ortiz Uribe - Fronteras Desk
go to original July 3, 2015

Asunción Diaz looks through her smartphone in Oxkutzcab, Mexico. She uses social media to stay in touch with her father and two brothers who immigrated to the United States. (Mónica Ortiz Uribe)

Social media has made connecting with faraway friends and relatives so easy, many of us take it for granted. But imagine if it was the only way to interact with the ones you love. For millions of immigrant families separated by a border and a lack of legal documents, social media has become a critical lifeline.

The sound of a live band cut through the humid night air of Oxkutzcab, a town in the heart of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. Neighbors celebrate a surprise birthday party paid for by American dollars.The birthday girl is a woman whose husband left to find work in the United States 19 years ago.

As she blew out her candles, the flash of cell phone cameras twinkled in her face. The moment would soon be shared with distant guests who only had access to it online. For families split by immigration, it's now common for special occasions like this to be witnessed from the glow of a hand-held screen.  

Next door, 30-year-old Asunción Diaz sits in her mother's living room tapping at her smartphone. Her fingernails are adorned with rhinestones.

"I'm checking my messages," she said.

Diaz, who works at a retail store, invested in a smartphone three years ago after saving for months. She calls it a necessary luxury.

"With social media, we feel more united," she said.

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