Sarai Jimenez and her family escaped the chaos of Venezuela in 2021, sought refuge in Colombia then, when things got bad there too, fled north, trekking through Central American rainforests, across mountain passes, clinging to ropes at the edge of cliffs, crossing rivers, wading through mud up to their knees.
They were captured by guerillas, held hostage, robbed. Then Sarai, now 17, had to wait for months in Mexico before crossing the border, legally as a refugee, arriving here in July only to confront a prospect that really frightened her: going to a Chicago high school.
