Desert Angel

For 25 years, Rafael Larraenza has risked his life along the US-Mexico border to lead lost immigrants out of the desert. But as the years catch up with him, he worries that his next search-and-rescue mission could be his last. In a selfless life or death struggle, naturalized Mexican immigrant Rafael Larraenza runs a harrowing, high-stakes DIY rescue operation for those desperate enough to attempt the US/Mexico crossing. An open secret amongst immigrant families, Rafael is who you call when no one else has the will, the instincts or the know-how to find your loved ones. Forty years ago, Rafael Larraenza risked everything to illegally cross into the U.S. After becoming a naturalized citizen and building a successful career, a twist of fate completely rocked his comfortable, middle-class existence and drew him back to the crossing. Since then, he has spent the last 25 years searching the deserts, mountains and canyons for immigrants in need of rescue. Now, we join Rafael at a personally and particularly fraught time in his quest. After decades spent on deadly terrain and a recent double hip replacement, Rafael is unwilling to slow down - knowing the heart-breaking reality that sometimes only minutes stand between life and death on the crossing. But with every search-and-rescue he puts more of himself on the line, unsure if and when the desert will finally claim him too. With unprecedented access, we'll ride along with Rafael on rescue missions, traverse the beautiful, deadly country that few native-born Americans will ever know and visit both sides of the border to learn the powerful stories of those who survived and those who were lost.