Fashion Photographer Assumes “Illegal Immigrants” Crashed Her Photo Shoot

Digital manipulation can make pretty much anything appear or disappear in a photo shoot. But sometimes, there’s commotion in the background that even the most powerful tool can’t erase. A woman was getting photographed on the beach in Florida when a group of people jumped out of a boat and ran to shore. Naturally, she assumed they were illegal immigrants.

When Ekaterina Juskowski, who was behind the camera, first saw the vessel pull up she thought it was ruining her shot. So she turned her camera off, rebooting it when she spotted about nine men dashing to the beach.

Juskowski, who moved to the United States from Russia at 18 for school, said, “Witnessing people starting their life anew by jumping off the boat and running into the city made my personal struggle seem rather small. As controversial as the problem of illegal immigration can be for many of us, it is important to remember that people come here in search of the better life, and it comes at a very high price of great courage, hard work, and loneliness.” She added, “I got to know America as a country with a big heart. While I trust it to the U.S. government to work out the policies on improving the immigration laws, it feels natural to stay compassionate and understanding on a personal level.”

A U.S. Border patrol spokesperson running with Juskowski’s theory thinks it points to how “confident” immigrants have become: “That’s a testament to how confident these organizations are — what we call transnational criminal organizations — who smuggle criminals and narcotics right onto the beach,“ Frank Miller said. “There has been an increase in known maritime smuggling in Florida — from Key West all along the Florida coast — from fiscal year 2014 to now.”

Of course, no one bothered to ask the guys what they were doing, but it sure makes a good story.

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