HumanSmuggling a Profitable Business at Migrants' Expense Voice of America 29 Apr 2021, 05:35 GMT+10 Ronald Garcia, a Guatemalan migrant, did not trust the smugglers he paid to take him across the U.S.-Mexico border. The 39-year-old recounted his story while staying at Casa Alitas, a migrant shelter in Tucson, Arizona. "To come here, I had to pawn my property. They were charging me $20,000," Garcia said. Crossing into the United States illegally is big business in Central and South America. For many people fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries, getting across the U.S. border requires them to pay huge sums and risk their lives.