French Benefits: Migrants Find Help South of U.S. Border
French Guiana is neither a colony nor an independent nation: It is France on the equator. And it's a quick boat ride across the Maroni river to French Guiana from the former Dutch colony of Suriname. Tens of thousands of impoverished Haitians, Brazilians and Chinese have discovered this backdoor into France. Once over the border, getting legal status is relatively easy. From this spot in the French Guiana town of St. Laurent du Maroni, taxis take immigrants to Cayenne, French Guiana's capital city.
In Cayenne, streets in the neighborhood of Matoury have few homes but many people -- as evidenced by rows of mailboxes. Inset, a mailbox shared by a Brazilian and a Haitian.
In downtown Cayenne, Haitian men frequent the barbershop on Saturdays to spend their free hours together and listen to music
Wilner Felix, watching a worker on his farm chop coconuts, is a Haitian immigrant and a community leader in Cayenne.