MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — About 90 Hondurans a day cross illegally from Mexico into the U.S. at the Rio Grande near McAllen, Texas, according to the Honduran Consulate.

Many tell immigration officials the journey’s risks pale in comparison to the grim certainties of their home country, which reports the highest homicide rate in the world.

Tens of thousands have also fled to the U.S. from El Salvador and Guatemala to escape violence. The families are then brought to Central Station in McAllen before being released on their own regonizances. Though most travelers have enough money to buy bus tickets to meet family in cities across the U.S., many have nowhere to stay before the buses leave, and most are in need of rest, medical attention and sustenance. It falls to the local government and charities to welcome the uninvited visitors to America.

This series of images by the Austin American-Statesman’s Rodolfo Gonzalez show families who have made the crossing.

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