Illegal

In the wake of September 11th, New York native John Dennehy turned to pacifist idealism and activism. But the bombs fell over Iraq anyway. When the nation reelected George Bush, Dennehy left the country. At twenty-two-years-old he impulsively moved to Ecuador hoping to experience their revolutionary social movements up close.Two years later, after falling in love with a local girl and witnessing student activists overthrow the Ecuadorian Government¿the revolution turned nationalist and began targeting U.S. interests and citizens in Ecuador. Dennehy was arrested and deported¿but he had found something worth fighting for. Two days later he snuck back in from Colombia with the help of corrupt police and drug smugglers. Over the next year, he lived in Ecuador illegally and crossed four more times. He earned an education in borders, even as the life he fought so hard to save unraveled more with each illegal crossing.