Paco and Mario take the group to a staging area, where they meet with others who are going to cross. The leader of this group is called Mero Mero. Everyone eats, drinks, and rests before they will cross the border, and Javier is excited to see his parents. Mero Mero goes over the rules, the signals for stopping, and what to do when they spot La Migra. They then walk through the night and cross into the US. Hours later, Marcelo sprains his ankle. The group takes a 30-minute break, and many fall asleep. When Chele wakes up, he finds Marcelo has left and taken all of his gear; Marcelo faked the ankle injury and decided to go alone. Javier struggles to understand why Marcelo would betray them. His grandpa told Marcelo to take care of him, but Chino and Patricia have been taking care of him while Marcelo has done very little.

The group moves off and has to maneuver under many barbed-wire fences. They hide near bushes when a helicopter is heard. They then come to a large road. They cross the road, slide under a fence, and wait in a ditch.