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LEVEL C1

Shadowing the newsreader

Listen to the newsreader read out each line and then practise saying it. Record your own voice line by line and submit your voiceover.

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Tapachula, a city in southern Mexico, sees thousands of refugees, many originally from Haiti, stranded as they wait for the permits required to enter the US.

Many have spent weeks traversing perilous mountain ranges and rainforests, risking life and limb trying to reach the US border, but now they find themselves stuck in Tapachula.

In 2010, Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake, which caused over 200,000 deaths, and left the country in a state of collapse.

Thousands fled, many headed for Chile, at the invitation of the president.

Their lives in Chile changed in 2018, when the government toughened migrant regulations, leaving many with no alternative but to set out again in pursuit of a better life.

Encouraged by those already established in the US, thousands embarked on the hazardous journey north, but having traversed 10 countries, many are now trapped in Tapachula, awaiting the necessary paperwork.

The Darien Gap, an area of jungle between Colombia and Panama, was fraught with danger for the travelling refugees, who having managed to avoid armed criminal gangs, then risked their lives crossing the treacherous river, where many drowned.

Fleeing Haiti with his mum and sister, after a brother's murder,11-year-old Samuel recalls the nightmare.

77,559 migrant permits have been issued to date, with the help of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance, but a huge backlog remains.

Legal entry to the US is the aim of most refugees, but some will try any means necessary and attempt illegal crossings.

Many others are like Samuel, regretting ever having started their journey.

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