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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Justo Robles in Tijuana

The woman saving trans lives at the US-Mexico border: ‘Why would I turn my back on them?’

Members of the LGBTQ+ community and Pro-Migrants NGO's march in downtown Tijuana in June 2018.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community and Pro-Migrants NGO's march in downtown Tijuana in June 2018. Photograph: Guillermo Arias/AFP/Getty Images

Susana “Susy” Barrales cuts a dash in downtown Tijuana, exchanging hellos with neighbors, friends and acquaintances whenever she heads out from her modest office, where the walls are adorned with framed awards from local government entities praising her advocacy work.

The shelter she runs in the city on the Mexico border with California has become a destination for many from other Mexican cities and countries in Central America, and beyond, who hear about it on the migration grapevine.

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