No tree or gifts for thousands in this US city

In downtown El Paso, Texas, holiday lights adorn trees and Christmas carols fill the air. But just blocks from the main city square, the festive season is more tempered.

After making the perilous journey and crossing the US border, newly arrived migrants gather near the Greyhound bus station in hopes of finding a way to continue to their final destinations.

While arrival in the US is cause for celebration for many, the holidays also bring a longing for the homes and family they left behind.

Filmed and edited by Alexandra Ostasiewicz; interviews by Bernd Debusmann Jr