Photos: Life for Haitian migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border

Off and on since October, The Arizona Republic photographer Nick Oza has been following some of the estimated 7,000 Haitian migrants stuck in border cities in Mexico hoping to cross into the U.S. through ports of entry.

Oza photographed them near the ports of entry in San Ysidro, Calif., and Nogales, Ariz.

FULL STORY:  Thousands of Haitians at U.S.-Mexico border unsure what's next

After a 2010 earthquake devastated their country, many Haitians fled to Brazil to work. However, because of the declining economy there, thousands have attempted to enter the United States through Mexico, applying for humanitarian parole.

Between Sept. 20 and Nov. 16, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released 900 Haitians because of a lack of detention space, primarily the result of the surge in families and unaccompanied children from Central America also arriving at the border. However, in recent weeks, the U.S. has begun deporting Haitian immigrants again.

More than 4,000 are still being held in ICE detention centers while thousands more wait in Mexico, trying to decide if  crossing into the U.S. is worth the risk of deportation.