Meet Juan and Militza, two asylum seekers who fled their native country of Venezuela and began the long harrowing trek to America. Their heartbreaking yet inspiring migration—an exodus shared by over half a million Venezuelans this year alone—took them through the treacherous jungles of the Darién Gap, the desert of Mexico, and the U.S. border at Eagle pass. Many do not survive the journey. In Episode 48 of Bar Talk, out now on YouTube and Spotify, Juan and Militza share their stories.

Meet Juan and Militza, two asylum seekers who fled their native country of Venezuela and began the long harrowing trek to America. Their heartbreaking yet inspiring migration—an exodus shared by over half a million Venezuelans this year alone—took them through the treacherous jungles of the Darién Gap, the deserts of Mexico, and the U.S. border at Eagle pass. Many do not survive the journey. In Episode 48 of Bar Talk, out tomorrow, Juan and Militza share their stories. #bartalk #documentary #labestia #piedrasnegras #border

Meet Juan and Militza, two asylum seekers who fled their native country of Venezuela and began the long harrowing trek to America. Their heartbreaking yet inspiring migration—an exodus shared by over half a million Venezuelans this year alone—took them through the treacherous jungles of the Darién Gap. Many do not survive the journey. In Episode 48 of Bar Talk, out tomorrow, Juan and Militza share their stories. #bartalk #documentary #labestia

“Honestly, I am not looking for the American dream. I’m looking to solve something in my country, with my family and my children. Because the American dream does not exist for me.” In NYC, the arrival of over 100,000 migrants seeking asylum in the last 12 months has pushed the city's shelter system to the breaking point. In the midst of this scramble for resources, too often the voices of these refugees are lost. Meet Juan and Militza, two asylum seekers who fled their native country of Venezuela and began the long harrowing trek to America. The choice to leave was not easy; both have extensive family ties to their homeland, and yet the autocratic Maduro regime made their lives unlivable. Their heartbreaking yet inspiring migration—an exodus shared by over half a million Venezuelans this year alone—took them through the treacherous Colombian and Panamanian jungle, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, all the way to the infamous train La Bestia en route to the U.S. border at Piedras Negras. In the course of their travels, thousands of refugees suffer theft, kidnapping, sexual assault, torture, murder, and suicide. Many do not survive the journey. Juan and Militza met by chance at the Migrant Resource Center at 7000 San Pedro Avenue in San Antonio, Texas. They were each then redirected to New York, where they were happily surprised to reunite. Tragically, they had their documents stolen by another migrant upon arrival, which initially left them on the streets of Manhattan. They have since managed to recover their official papers and are now being housed at an abandoned school in College Point, Brooklyn. Although both are happy to have a roof over their heads, the living conditions at New York’s shelters are abysmal—often without beds, hot water, or hot food. Sadly, personal records of the voyage are scarce, as most migrants have their possessions and phones stolen in transit. In some ways, this history of the refugee crisis remains an oral one. In Episode 48 of Bar Talk, Juan and Militza share their stories. If you would like to support refugees located in New York, we encourage you to donate to Make The Road, an organization that provides cell phones and financial assistance to migrants, among other services. You can also donate to Asylum-Seeker Relief through the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City. This episode was shot at the historic Pershing Square café across from Grand Central terminal. https://donate.maketheroadny.org/give/423350/#!/donation/checkout https://www.nyc.gov/site/fund/donate/donate.page Instagram & TikTok: @bartalkseries https://www.patreon.com/bartalkseries/ https://pershingsquare.com/ 00:00 Teaser 00:16 Intro 00:51 The American Dream 02:16 Why Did You Leave Venezuela? 04:22 Into the Panamanian Jungle 05:41 So Many Dead 07:50 Militza is Kidnapped 15:10 Left for Dead 20:05 El Basurero & La Bestia 21:46 Ciudad Juárez 23:13 To Veracruz & Back Again 24:08 Crossing the U.S. Border 27:09 Credible Fear 28:00 Shout-outs #migrants #refugees #documentary #venezuela #border #immigration #bartalk

Meet Juan and Militza, two asylum seekers who fled their native country of Venezuela and began the long harrowing trek to America. Their heartbreaking yet inspiring migration—an exodus shared by over half a million Venezuelans this year alone—took them through the treacherous jungles of the Darién Gap. Many do not survive the journey. In Episode 48 of Bar Talk, out tomorrow, Juan and Militza share their stories. #migrantes #venezuela #migrantcrisis #bartalk #kidnapping #documentary

“There’s this psychic geography of the city. Any time you’re walking, you take notes of the things you see, the spots you can hit. And you build this psychological map in your head of everywhere you’ve been, places you’ve painted… Your senses get heightened. I can tell a cop car from three blocks down just based on the temperature of the light.” Meet Modus and James, two friends at the heart of the NYC graffiti scene. For the last six years, James has co-owned and managed Scrap Yard NYC, Soho’s famous art supplies store and christened by the NYT as a ‘mecca of graffiti culture.’ Modus himself is more than just a casual customer; he’s been leaving his mark on the many walls of New York for over a decade. A renowned writer among the city’s underground, he spends his nights hopping train tracks and flitting through alleyways, always in search of a certain kind of empty space. After all, it will be the site of his next masterpiece. What’s it like to wander the streets of NYC with the world as your canvas? Folks, it's episode 47! Tonight we're kicking it at beautiful MIDNIGHTS bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A rockin' dance floor (now open Thursday-Saturday for all you DJ lovers), a backyard for chillin', and some of the nicest bartenders you'll find in NYC. Enjoy! Follow Modus @m0du5_l1st Follow James @scrapyardnyc1 Instagram & TikTok: @bartalkseries https://www.patreon.com/bartalkseries/ https://www.midnightsbk.com/ 00:00 Teaser 00:41 Intro 00:58 A Walk with Modus 03:54 The Boone Avenue Saga 05:31 F*** Private Property 06:53 I Ain't Got No Money // Midnight's 07:51 Scrap Yard & The Youth 10:47 I Feel So Alive 12:26 The Thirties Rollercoaster 14:20 Roadtrip to New York 16:31 Bartending with Cally 17:30 You Can't Let That Rock 19:23 Shout-Outs #realitytv #nightlife #documentary #graffiti #graffitiartist #streetart #bartalk Intro Song: "Brooklyn" by Glass Vaults