A bus turns and brakes, the hydraulic door opens with a sigh, and people slowly pour out onto the parking lot. There are 60 of them, many parents holding small children. They look tired, wear neither belts nor shoe laces, and most have a black plastic device strapped around their ankles, creating a small bulk under their jeans. They carry bags labeled “Department of Homeland Security“ in blue letters. Some women wear shiny hair bands made of pieces from rescue blankets.
Martín Steinhagen works for the German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau and is a visiting reporter through the Arthur F. Burns fellowship program.