Informate y toma accion! Inform yourself and take action!

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.

Split Second Justice as US Cracks Down on Border Crossers

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.

Border Patrol Accused Of Teaching Children To Shoot At Human-Shaped Targets Made To Look Like Immigrants

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.

Beyond human rights abuses by Border Patrol at a systemic level, here's the update on state politics. While Pima County (that includes Tucson) has passed a resolution declaring the county "Immigrant welcoming" (County officially adopts "immigrant-welcoming" designation), at the state level there is new legislation proposed that "would make it a crime for a ‘person in the state illegally’" to use public infrastructure such as sidewalks and bathrooms...

AZ Bill Would Make It A Crime To Use A Bathroom Without Proof Of Citizenship

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!