The Line Becomes a River Major Figures

Francisco

The central figure of the memoir, Francisco Cantú is also the narrator for most of the book, with the exception of a brief section that is narrated in José’s voice. Francisco is Mexican American and grows up in the American Southwest with his mother, who raises him to feel a connection to his Mexican roots. He is fluent in Spanish, an asset that proves useful while he works for the Border Patrol.

After studying international relations in college, he joins the Border Patrol to see for himself what the border is like and to better understand the political and human situation there. He works as an agent for four years, during which time he suffers constant nightmares and becomes increasingly worn down by the emotional toll of both the human suffering of the migrants he encounters and the inherent violence of the institution he serves.

Unable to handle the emotional strain of fieldwork, Francisco transfers to a desk job at Sector Intel, but this position also proves emotionally taxing for him. After leaving the Border Patrol entirely, Francisco finds work at a coffee shop, where he becomes close friends with his undocumented coworker José. After José is apprehended by the Border Patrol trying to reenter the country, Francisco goes to great lengths to help him and his family in their struggle to secure José’s legal status, but in the end their efforts fail.

Francisco’s Mother

Francisco’s mother is a former employee of the National Park Service. Born the child of a single mother, she grows up resenting her partial Mexican heritage represented by her absent Mexican American father. Later in life, after the birth of her son, Francisco, she reevaluates her heritage and strives to ensure her son will feel a deep connection to his Mexican roots and to the border region. She joins the National Park Service because she enjoys the outdoors and wants to better understand the land and its nonhuman as well as human dimensions. As a new employee, she experiences a tragic incident with a squirrel that teaches her a valuable lesson about the nature of violence.

Throughout the book, Francisco and his mother have conversations about Francisco’s life and work, some in person but many over the phone. Often, Francisco’s mother is careful not to pry when she senses her son’s agitation and stress, but she always knows when there’s something he doesn’t want to talk about. She serves as a source of moral support for Francisco in his most difficult moments.

José

José is a fellow employee at the coffee shop where Francisco works after leaving the Border Patrol. José works as a handyperson at the mercado, where he is well liked and valued for his work ethic and friendliness. Described as a “strong and clean-shaven man from Oaxaca,” José befriends Francisco, and the two bond over a morning ritual of sharing breakfast burritos. José is an undocumented immigrant, and he intuits that Francisco used to be a migra (border agent). With his wife, Lupe, he has raised three children in the United States, including his eldest son, Diego. While his children are all legal citizens, José and his wife are not, and after his mother falls ill back in Oaxaca, he returns to take care of her. Unfortunately, he is unable to return to the United States and is apprehended while attempting to cross the border.

Despite the hard work of his lawyer, Elizabeth, and support of his family, Francisco, his former employer, and the members of his church congregation, José’s case for asylum is denied, and he is deported back to Mexico. Unable to remain separated from his family, José tries many times to reenter, even resorting to hiring dangerous human smugglers (coyotes) to help him, but his attempts fail. When Francisco visits him in Mexico, José makes it clear he will never stop trying because his family belongs in America and he belongs with his family.

Lupe

Lupe is the hardworking, loyal wife of José and mother to Diego and José’s two other sons. She marries José and raises a family with him in the United States for three decades before their happy life is torn apart by José’s struggle to reenter the country. After José’s arrest, she must rely on Francisco to bring her children to see their father because, as an undocumented immigrant , it would be too dangerous for her to go to the prison where he’s being held. Lupe is a proud woman who is reluctant to accept gifts from others, even when her financial situation becomes desperate after her husband’s arrest. She does, however, accept charity to take care of her children.

Diego

Diego is the eldest son of José and Lupe. He is a cheerful and friendly boy who loves playing soccer and identifies strongly as an American. After his father’s arrest trying to cross the border, Diego becomes close with his father’s friend and coworker Francisco, who drives him to the prison where José is being held for visitation hours. When José’s friends and family write letters to a judge in support of José’s asylum application, Diego writes the longest letter, two and a half pages, where he promises to score goals at his church’s soccer tournament in his father’s name. He injures himself while playing soccer on the same day that his father is deported, and tragically father and son are unable to see each other in their time of need.

Morales

Morales is a fellow agent of the Border Patrol and Francisco’s closest friend in the force; their friendship begins when they are trainees together at the academy. Like Francisco, Morales is Mexican American and fluent in Spanish. The two are often paired during Francisco’s time as a field operative, and they stay in touch after Francisco’s transfer to Sector Intel. When dealing with migrants, Morales is more reserved and less willing to humanize them than Francisco. Although Francisco thinks of him as a decent person, a public defender, Francisco says later that Morales always seemed “callous” and a “very serious guy” to him. He survives a motorcycle accident in Part I that leaves him blind in one eye.

Cole

Cole is Francisco’s supervisor during the field-training period of his service in the Border Patrol. Cole is a veteran agent and has a dark, callous sense of humor, representing the harsh, inhuman side of the Border Patrol. He earned the nickname “Black Death” from the other Border Patrol agents because of an incident where he ran over and killed a drunk Indigenous man sleeping on a road at night; when he tells the story, he claims it was an accident but expresses no remorse and even laughs about it. The most memorable lesson he teaches Francisco and the other trainees is to spare themselves extra paperwork by letting drug smugglers escape while seizing the drugs.

Hayward

Hayward is Francisco’s boss at Sector Intel after Francisco transfers in from fieldwork. Hayward is from Virginia, where he played high school football as a quarterback and was the son of a strict police chief. He later became a police officer but quit policing and left Virginia. Hayward is presented as a career-oriented officer who is always prepared to impress his superiors and takes the appearance of his uniform seriously, often polishing his shoes. He has an easygoing manner with his subordinates, including Francisco, and even goes drinking with them. He is haunted by an incident from his time as a police officer in which he shot and killed a 17-year-old boy while attempting to stop him from escaping with a stolen car. When Francisco informs Hayward of his decision to leave the Border Patrol, Hayward tries to get him to reconsider because he doesn’t want to lose a good agent.

Diane

Diane is the proprietor of the coffee shop where Francisco and José work together after Francisco leaves the Border Patrol. She is a very generous and thoughtful employer who surprises José’s lawyer with her concern for him and her support of his asylum case even after it’s made clear that José can never work for her again. She becomes heavily involved in the case, financially supporting José and his wife while also helping pay for José’s legal fees and securing them a good immigration lawyer.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth is an immigration lawyer who takes up José’s case after he’s sent to prison for pleading guilty (as part of a plea deal) to illegally crossing the border. She is a friend of Diane’s, and it’s due to Diane that she agrees to take up José’s case. Elizabeth is considered a very accomplished immigration lawyer, and she speaks rudimentary Spanish. She is honest through the whole process with Lupe and the rest of José’s family that his chances of being allowed to remain in the United States are very low, but she works to support his application regardless. Despite her reputation, José’s upstanding character, and an impressive outpouring of support for José from his family and community, she’s unable to prevent his deportation.