. >> reporter: irena is sad and loany. strong is your dream to been the united states? >> translator: it is important to be in the united states for my children. they will go to school and learn english. >> reporter: all the trips, all the danger, it is all for the two kids. right? >> translator: they are everything to me. they will have a better life and won't suffer as much as me. >> reporter: giving up on the desperate journaey that begins n a cynical town, preying on immigrants, delivers the vulnerable into our kitchens, front yard, and yes, sometimes to that morgue where robin keeps the small memento thousands of the dead. >> they're kind of humble, intimate things. you know? so i try to treat this with, as much respect and dignity as i can. >> reporter: we note among the most popular items carried by immigrants, saint jude, the personal saint of lost causes. for "nightline," jim avila, along the arizona border. >> our thanks to jim avila and his producers. we'll be right back. 20 million men already have. ask your do

well i think first of all i think your character the characterization of us irena relations is a little bit simplistic there have been periods of the tone touch lee i mean we just think back to the opening of the war in afghanistan where there was tacit cooperation between the united states and iran in the overthrow of the taliban have been other periods of cooperation. i think that relationship has followed its has been largely won by tension and i think that's largely because in part because of the kind of traumatic legacy of us the rainy and his. history particularly the hostage crisis from the united states and us in the overthrow of mohamed massada but i think it's basically because of american foreign policy in american interest america had decided once the islamic republic was established that it wanted to contain iran in its pursuit of policy not because simply because john suggested in the interests of saudi arabia and israel but because it's how america how the united states has defined its own interests now that may be wrong that may be may think that is. that's been the wron