BOYLE HEIGHTS, Calif. — On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, 50-year-old Benito Murillo met up with his safety net: a group of disabled migrants.

The migrants come from all over — from the valley to Riverside. They all have their own story. Murillo’s starts like that of thousands of other migrants.

"I had four kids, and with the money I earned, I couldn’t provide for them," Murillo said in Spanish. "I felt desperate. And that’s when I decided to migrate."

Murillo left Honduras and, once in Mexico, jumped on a train called La Bestia, or the "Train of Death." Migrants use this freight train as an inexpensive way to cross Mexico.

“I got on at like 11 a.m. and I spent all day on the train,” he said.

By 3 a.m., Murillo was exhausted, as he explained.

"I was on the edge of the train. I slipped and fell. I couldn’t hold on and landed underneath the train. My leg and arm were amputated. In the blink of an eye, I became disabled."

Across from Murillo sat José Luis Hernández, also from Honduras. Hernández also fell off the train, and when he saw his leg caught underneath, he used his right arm to get it out, amputating that. He then used his left hand to try to pull himself free, which was also left mangled.

“What brings us together is that we all share the same misfortune,” said Hernández.

A study by Handicap International and HelpAge indicates that as many as 30% of refugees have a disability, injury or trauma from their journey.

In 2019, Hernández created a migrant support group for victims of La Bestia. The group was later expanded to now include undocumented migrants who are disabled, no matter the cause. It’s called the Immigrants with Disabilities Project.

The group has about 40 members. They meet weekly and help each other navigate everything, from how to open a chocolate milk properly to some of their biggest life challenges.

“There is housing, food stamps, monthly financial aid, and many other programs that we can’t access because we are undocumented,” says Hernández in Spanish.

The migrants, therefore, recommend programs and services to each other, and put pressure on lawmakers to expand access to all in need. But maybe the most important thing the group does is provide companionship and hope.

“I don’t get tired of fighting and searching for alternatives for a better life because that’s why we left our home countries,” said Murillo.