At the Border
You should be angry right now.
These past couple of weeks I have been at the U.S-Mexico Border, and I thought I would share three lessons from the experience.
But first, the reason why I was there: volunteering with Angry Tias and Abuelas I assisted in one-on-one orientations with migrants as they were dropped off at a bus station in McAllen to head to their final destinations before their court dates, pending their asylum status or deportation hearings.
I would first explain their bus itinerary. I met people who had shorter rides to Dallas or longer ones to Topeka or Boston with multiple stops. I would explain their court appearance, file number, and the fecha de corte hotline number. For some migrants, their final destination was in one state, but their court location was in another state. All of their documents are in English. This is why it’s so easy for me to remove the politics from the situation— how could you navigate the world or understand any laws , if it was provided to you in a language you didn’t understand?
Wherever their final destination was, I drew on maps to highlight their journey, especially if there were kids present so they could help their parents along the way. I also provided a list of resources that could provide them additional free and legal help once they landed in their specific destination— it would be a relief if they landed somewhere in Boston (or Tennessee— believe it or not) where there are many amazing groups/nonprofits/legal aid throughout the state, versus other states that couldn’t offer much.
Lastly, with access to a respite center we worked on getting the tactile resources that could make their journey’s a little bit more comfortable. If I could get them anything, I tried— food, medicines, a change of clothes, toiletries. There was an amazing donation pile at the respite station, and when I couldn't find something there, the center was conveniently located near a thrift shop, mini mart, and pharmacy.
Obviously not every city has a volunteer base at a bus station waiting for migrants with open arms to alleviate some of their stress.
So, if starting/joining one seems a bit out of reach for you, here are three homework tasks:
educate: take an immigration law or/and refugee policy course offered at your university (thre is one this fall if you are at UNCA). Learn about basic human rights law, Latin/South American foreign policy and history (much of the current violence we are seeing in countries such as Guatemala and El Salvador, can be traced back to American interference in the 50's and 60's) and compare and contrast immigration systems across different countries— what you find might surprise you, but most importantly—if you are armed with the facts, you are prepared for the reckoning. Take time to understand how immigrants and refugees navigate the spaces you live in. Your neighborhood, county, city, state, may feel like home to you, but for many, it can be inncredibly difficult to access resources and create a home base.
learn Spanish: if you were to trade in one Netflix episode a night with an oral/written Spanish lesson starting today, you would be able to hold a somewhat coherent conversation with a Spanish speaker by January. Learning a language takes discipline, but learning Spanish is the closest language to English you will ever find (thank god for cognates). Being able to speak to a migrant (or a person from anywhere) provides hope and connection in a small yet beautiful way. You get to trade stories, laugh, listen to their pain, play with children, and answer questions. It is the second most spoken language in our country— you have nothing to lose by learning, everything to gain. (the US has no national language btw- some states have declared a national language, but not collectively so people can show up to our borders speaking whatever language they choose).
pay attention: what's happening in our country is very scary right now. This administration is asking us to not believe our eyes and ears even though we clearly know what’s going on. This administration is also committing human rights violations at our southern border. But scarier than that— we are breaking international law by not allowing migrants to seek asylum— it is inhumane to close our borders to any demographic of people. The fact that no other global power is holding America accountable or calling us out on our behavior is terrifying. If we have positioned ourselves so powerful that no one can criticize us— we are showing that if we can get away with this, we can get away with anything.
the Bhagavad Gita says you are only entitled to the action— not its fruits. who are you to stand by and do nothing?
More reading material:
From The Economist:
A new rule issued by the White House effectively prevents Latin Americans from claiming asylum at the southern border
The Washington Post
‘We stuck together like neighbors are supposed to do’: A community thwarts a father’s ICE arrest”
The New York Times
“Trump Administration Expands Fast-Tracked Deportations for Undocumented Immigrants”