Hi friends,
There's a lot going on in the Borderlands that I
want to discuss, and I would like to follow BorderLinks' model of reflective action. In our education model we
encourage both delegation/workshop participants and leaders to not just be
consumers of facts and others' points of view, but to reflect upon what they've
seen and done, and from there, act. How do you take home your experience in the
Borderlands trying to synthesize the multiple perspectives that only make these
issues more complex?
This is a question that we ask ourselves a lot, and
for me as a YAV, I have to ask myself how I am also reflectively guiding myself
and others to action. Today, I'm thankful that consuming lots of immigration-related
current events is part of my job, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to blog
at work to try to process it all. But sometimes, I just... my brain is
exploding. So my intention here is to share with you all some of what's going
on in my world, and my apologies that some of these sections will probably feel
disjointed!
My last blog post included some highlights about my
latest delegation, and from that, there has been some follow-up already with
those students, which is amazing to see. We often don't know what participants
do with their action items at home, but I've heard back from a couple
participants after our almost two weeks together...
With delegation wrap-up, I really try to emphasize
that BorderLinks would love to help continue the relationship and keep
extending the experience of understanding the US-Mexico border, so we are happy
to connect people with resources and contacts once they've left our campus.
Following this delegation, within the first week...
- I received emails from two participants asking
for the contact information for a couple of the community members we met with
here in Arizona
- Another is thinking about an internship with a
humanitarian aid group here on the border. Two students asked me to be a
reference for border-related internships and fellowships (which ahhh! makes me
feel like a real professional!)
- And one of the students held a presentation that incorporated that music as well as
movement and forms of media to communicate his reflections to the school. And to
do that in just days - amazing!
And another messaged me a question that I thought
would be relevant to share with all of you. The student asked, basically, "So when you know a community member has been detained by Border
Patrol or ICE, what do you say when you call them?" This is a great question, and as you readers may recall, I've asked you
to call Border Patrol for the release of upstanding community members - most
recently here: Tucson Mom Detained.
Here was my response:
"The good news is that these days there are a
few organizations and protection networks out there to spread the word quickly
about a detained community member, and they usually put out a message to say to
Border Patrol/ICE. It's usually something like, "Hi, my name is ____, and
I believe ____ should be released from detention and/or be granted relief from
deportation because_____ " I think the biggest thing you can emphasize
when you call is that this person is a positive contributor to the community.
Anything you can mention about community involvement, dedication to their
family, educational and/or professional goals helps. People with those
qualities are not supposed to be pursued for deportation, according to the Morton memo - that order
was handed down for ICE to focus on people who have committed other criminal
acts, especially violent ones, and emphasize discretion and deportation relief
for upstanding members of the community..."
So that's just one thing you can do! And now...
here's some more Arizona-related news that will help you understand my life and
work a little bit better:
*** Please watch the PBS documentary "The State of Arizona." You
can watch it here: video.pbs.org/video/2365153190/ until
February 28th 2014.
Here's more of Arizona in the national news! It still feels wild for the issues you're working on and their local context to make national headlines... A couple days ago, New York Times featured Tucson's
Operation Streamline court proceedings, as well as Judge Velasco who holds the
record for processing 70 defendants in 30 minutes.
Here Judge Velasco was also interviewed for the Washington Post (please pay attention to tone as well as language in the two different newspapers): Under Operation Streamline, fast-track proceedings for illegal immigrants
“The system is working well and the system is
fair,” Judge Bernardo Velasco, who presides over Streamline cases here, said in
an interview. “When you enter illegally you’re a criminal. You may not be a big
criminal, but you’re a criminal. You can say ‘these poor people’ and all this other
stuff, but they’re still criminals.”
And this, I just have no words.
Note: we need to keep in mind to separate individuals from the institution of the Border Patrol so as to not dehumanize the individuals who are doing that work. What we should focus on is systemic dehumanization by the institution, and if that cuts down to the individual level, that is what conversations are for. I happen to not agree with training
kids to use deadly force against a human target in any circumstance. But
clearly not everyone believes that way.
At the community level, the Southside
Worker Center and Southside
Presbyterian Church here in Tucson are working to call out an
employer regarding 6 cases of wage theft of our community members. Please
inform yourself and others so all work is valued!
I'll leave you with an excerpt from my
participant's blog entry - and you can find the rest here on the BorderLinks
blog: "Beyond Emotions and
Enlightenments."
"I dare to say that the 11
days at BorderLinks went beyond what we expected. I would fail to sum up the
experience of the trip if I limited it to a few emotions and enlightenments,
because the entire time I felt as if I was being forced to question the things
I was being confronted with. At times, I can honestly claim that I felt
hopeless and angered by the injustices at the border. Seeing the grand
monstrosity of the border wall itself and the blind militancy of the border
patrol could do that to you. Having to leave Agua Prieta because of
cartel-related violence also added to the intensity and immediacy of the issue.
But it would be unfair to leave it at that negative conclusion, because
BorderLinks always made sure to show us that not only was there was work to be
done, but there was already work being done. By getting the chance to
meet activists, Samaritans, public defenders, and other community leaders, we
saw that the issues weren’t being neglected. In the midst of danger, confusion,
and chaos, people do still feel compelled to act on behalf of those who need
the help. The beautiful people at HEPAC in Nogales, Tierra Y Libertad Organization,
Casa Mariposa, and all the other groups I have not mentioned prove that
complacency is not acceptable. The incredible work they do impacts people
daily. Over and over again, the people on both sides of the border inspired me
to reject fatalistic thinking and instead move towards action.
I left BorderLinks more compelled
than ever to continue fighting for a better, just future for everyone.
BorderLinks exposed the truth to us all. But the truth isn’t enough if we don’t
act on it. As Jose David, a Guatemalan man I met at the Florence detention
center told me, “Sigue adelante!” Move forward. In this case, we need to give
the issue of immigration a human face. After all the people we met and worked
with through BorderLinks, that is our responsibility."
You all are smart people. So please, check out
the resources I have given you. If you are reading my blog, most likely you also have the internet, the TV, the radio, and personal experience at your fingertips. If you'd like more, hopefully I can
point you in the right direction! Inform yourself, reflect, think about how you feel guided to take action in your community and/or in the political realm, and act!
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