Alicia Montes is one of an unknown number of victims of domestic violence in the Eastern Coachella Valley – a largely impoverished agricultural community with approximately 56,000 residents, about 20 miles east of Palm Springs — and one of the few to report her abuser to authorities.

Juan was 17 when he entered the U.S., backpack on his shoulders, easily passing as an American student through the Tijuana border.
He quickly realized that, as an undocumented immigrant, it wouldn’t be easy to stay in the U.S.. And as a gay man, it wouldn’t be easy to go back to Mexico.

COACHELLA, Calif. – Cristian Cabrera was working in the grape fields with her family last summer, saving money for the fall semester, when she received a text from a friend. “Have you heard the good news?” The news was life-changing for Cabrera and other undocumented college students.