Venezuelan family living ‘American Dream’ after epic journey across 11 countries and notorious jungle

My phone pings late at night. It’s a message from Gustavo Aleman, our producer in Venezuela.    

“Look who made it to America!” the message says, alongside a picture of a family standing in front of a ‘Welcome to the United States of America” sign.

It is the Zambrano family from Venezuela.

Our team first met them in the Darien Gap in November 2022, while we were filming a story about the notorious jungle trek from Colombia to Panama.

We filmed as they criss-crossed rivers, waded through deep pools of water and hiked up steep hills made entirely of thick mud and rock.

Michael Zambrano was carrying his then two-year-old son Lucien in a baby carrier on his chest, while his four-year-old son Jordan clung to his hand.

His wife Mariangela was seven months pregnant.

They had left Venezuela, travelled to Chile – tried to make a life there but couldn’t – so made their way through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and then to Colombia, where they joined the trail – hoping to ultimately reach the US.

It took them five days to get through the jungle and into Panama.

Once they reached Panama they took a breather for a few days, before continuing north through Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and then Mexico.

In Mexico City in January, Mariangela gave birth to a girl they named Ana, but because they did not have proper papers, they had to wait to get a birth certificate for their third child.

Once they received it, they applied for asylum in the US, and after nearly three months of waiting they got approval from US Customs and Border Protection to enter the US legally through Texas.

In the end it was a six month journey for the Zambrano family, mostly on foot, carrying everything they had in one rucksack – and with just $300 (£235) to their name.

They are now settling in to life in New York City.

“I feel everything was worth it, it was worth crossing 11 countries and four deserts with no money, just with the help of strangers, and with God’s help,” Michael told producer Gustavo Aleman in New York.

The family has been given a room at a shelter for migrants, as well as food and supplies for their children.

Eldest son Jordan has been enrolled in public school where, Michael proudly notes, he is learning English.

“The first day we took him to school we were so proud, after all we have been through,” he said while walking home from school with Jordan on his shoulders.

“This happiness will stay with me all my life.”

Michael is waiting for his work permit to arrive, but in the meantime he earns a little money busking on the streets in the evenings – he is a singer.

He said: “I perform on the streets on the corner of a restaurant, I sing mostly Colombian music, and people are very supportive.”

He also creates content for his TikTok account, where he has more than 36,000 followers.

The Darien Gap is seen as a gateway to America for migrants from all over the world and more than 500,000 passed through in 2023, according to latest figures available.

When we said goodbye to Michael and his family – up to their knees in water and mud – just over a year ago, we wished them luck.

However, we pointed out that rules at the US border had changed and their asylum claim couldn’t be processed at the crossing point.

Michael smiled and shook our hands.

“We will get through. The American people are nice, and they will hear our story and they will let us in. God will help them and help us,” he said, wading off into the distance with his family in tow.

They made it.

An incredible journey, but one that often doesn’t end so well for thousands of others.