The Long Journey Home

Severo Cardoso was just another immigrant trying to make it in a new country, just like the millions before him. Instead of being from across the Atlantic he and his wife Lara traveled the thousands of miles from Teuixingo, Mexico a small village in the Provence of Puebla. Others from Peubla had made the same journey before him and word spread, as it does with immigrants that are seeking a new life. Even in this tough town 60 miles north of New York City, where the per capita murder rate is the highest in the state, it was better than home. There were jobs here and in fact Cardoso worked at two. At dawn in a laundromat on a gritty inner city street of Newburgh, Severo Cardoso was hard at work. Washing a work uniform from one job and getting ready to go to his second job. Out in the streets a man in his early 20’s was busy catching a buzz. Pot, coke, and angel dust was his mix tonight. He got behind the wheel of his car, lost control and plowed though the wall and window of the laundromat where Cardoso was folding his laundry. The force was so great it buried Cardoso in bricks and glass, killing him almost immediately. The long journey home then began. Wanting to be buried in Teuixingo money was raised to send Severo Cardoso the nearly 2,600 miles.   His wife and young daughter were also helped in getting home. The family graciously accepted my presence along with reporter Andres Cala. What follows is that story.