When a new vigilante group took over under the promise of protecting Linda and her community, she felt relieved. But things only got worse… before she knew it, almost every household owned a gun, most of which were smuggled from the US. In February 2021, she experienced the kind of paralyzing pain that led her to flee the only home she ever knew.

E3: Tears from Tijuana

Loud narco-corridos and gunshots had become the soundtrack of Linda’s life in her hometown in Michoacan, Mexico, the avocado capital of the world. SUVs and men parading with smuggled automatic weapons hanging from their shoulders controlled avocado fields and every aspect of life. In February 2021 Linda was devastated by a loss so profound, she had to leave the only home she had ever known. In a twist of irony, she fled to the country where 80% of the weapons in Mexico come from, to request asylum. Caliber 60 is a limited series about the impact of illegal arms trafficking southbound to Mexico on the displacement of thousands of Mexicans fleeing towards the U.S., as told through Linda’s story, who escaped Michoacan and found refuge in California.Episode 1 drops on March 15th, 2023.This podcast was supported by the Pulitzer Center.