Back in Tucson: a Brief Narrative of the Past Week

Kyle here.

We got back into Tucson yesterday evening after spending about a week on the road in Douglas (AZ), Agua Prieta, Benjamin Hill, and Altar (all in Sonora). A brief round up of the week's activities include staffing a migrant resource center for migrants who have just been returned to Mexico by the Border Patrol, meeting with community organizers in Agua Prieta, visiting kitchens for migrants traveling north, meeting with a priest who was heavily involved in the Sanctuary movement of the 1980s who now works with migrants, and we observed as migrants got off the train in Benjamin Hill to rest on their way north. In Altar, we watched migrants get directly off buses from the south and look around a plaza for their next step in the journey, went to a house where migrants pay $4-6/night waiting for the last leg north, and we slept in a migrant shelter maintained by the Catholic church.

Yesterday was probably the most intense of the week. We drove north out of Altar towards Sasabe (I would recommend getting on Google Earth or a similar program to get an idea of where these places are) on a 60 mile long dirt road. Along the side of this road you can see the burnt out shells of vans with many, many bullet holes in them. Daily, hundreds of migrants drive north on this dirt road in vans that make the Altar-Sasabe trip with 20-40 people packed into what is really a 15 person van. The drug cartels charge a fee to the van drivers. The shot up, burnt out vans are the ones whose drivers didn't want to pay. Recently, there has been a spate of violence due to the drug trade, with something like 22 people (including police) murdered in one case.

So when we came to a checkpoint about 5 miles south of Sasabe, I was a tad worried. There were about eight heavily armed soldiers with a Hummer sitting beside the road. We pulled up and a young soldier told Rick, our van driver and team leader, that we all had to get out so they could inspect us and the luggage (presumably for weapons). Rick wasn't have any of it, and citing the recent violence, asked for some form of ID or a good reason we could trust them. (This conversation was completely in Spanish, and I was one of the few within earshot who could understand.) I was by that time quite nervous because of the whole situation. Eventually an officer came over, and the conversation dragged on while the rest of us engaged the young soldier standing in our doorway with an assault rifle hanging off his shoulder. Everything turned out okay, but for a while, I wasn't so assured.

Eventually we made it to the border, crossed without a problem, and were promptly pulled over by the Border Patrol within five miles. Instead of "probable cause," the Border Patrol only has to articulate "reasonable suspicion" to pull someone over. In this case, Rick assumed it was because the van was a rental and the woman riding in the front seat could vaguely pass for a Latina. Anyway, after following us a good 4-5 minutes, the agent finally put on his lights and got us to the side. We were in a bit of a hurry, so Rick didn't insist on some of the nuances that come with your rights. For instance, an agent is supposed to articulate their "reasonable suspicion" before asking to inspect a vehicle. He failed do this, but again, because of the the time constraint we simply went with the flow. We did have a bit of fun, though. When asked if all occupants were US citizens, Rick replied, "all but one." He then waited a few moments before adding that he was Swedish.

Anyway, that was our second direct run-in with the law yesterday. We passed a huge National Guard checkpoint a few miles later. Now, this was somewhat unnerving for me. When I'm in a developing country, I expect, or at least am not surprised to see a military checkpoint. But in the United States? That was pretty unsettling. And we came across a Border Patrol & National Guard checkpoint heading north from Nogales later on in the day. Again, it didn't sit well with me.

We arrived in Nogales in the early afternoon to volunteer at the No More Deaths tent for the afternoon. Here migrants who have just been returned to Mexico can come for some food and water, and get any blisters or scrapes they have treated. According to Border Patrol standards, migrants are supposed to be given food and water if they are held for more than 6 hours, but it seems to be the exception rather than the rule when this is actually the case. (Though I must interject that for the most part, migrants say they are treated well by the Border Patrol agents when in custody.) I've watched people scarf down burritos after having not eaten for two days.

Then a man told me that a women speaking on the pay phone across the street was missing a child. I told Rick and he and another volunteer went into action. It turns out that during the night, this woman and her for children, mother-in-law, and brother-in-law were crossing with a group. The coyotes (smugglers) were getting angry because she was unable to keep up with the kids, and nobody wanted to help her with them. Eventually, they got split up into two groups somehow, and when the Border Patrol surprised them, they got split up. This woman came into the No More Deaths tent with three children. The oldest, an eight year old boy, had been lost in the night with the mother- and brother-in-law, and nobody knew where they were.

Imagine that. Think of losing your oldest child in the attempt to find a better life. The wisdom of crossing with four children aside, try to grasp the desperation that would lead to you make that choice. And then try to grasp the anguish of having something so terrible as losing your child in the middle of the southern Arizona desert. There isn't much hope that the kid will remain alive. Adults die out there daily. Anyway, Rick and his counterpart across the border were calling all the people they knew: Border Patrol, consulates, Grupos Beta (a Mexican governmental organization trying to keep migrants safe and provide them ways to return home/south if they choose), and others. Though minors are often lost in the desert, it is quite an unusual thing for an eight year old to get lost. A full-blown Border Patrol search was waiting in the wings as we went into last night.

Long story made short, Rick and a few of our team arrived at No More Deaths' office in Nogales to the news that the boy, mother-, and brother-in-law had shown up in Altar. After getting separated in the desert, they happened to by with the coyotes, who took them back to Altar. But again, reflect on the desperation that would lead you to such a decision. Because apparently the next step for this family is to go to another part of the border, where the husband (who lives in the Seattle/Tacoma area) will meet them and try to help them across.

That was a relief, but the rest of us didn't find out until this afternoon. Tyler and I spent the day making little 2' x 1' white crosses for an action we're going to do tomorrow. We'll be following the Wackenhut buses that have been contracted out by the government to collect migrants as the Border Patrol captures them, take them to a Border Patrol station for processing, and then return them to the border. The problem here is that by contracting out this function, an element of transparency is lost in the process of holding migrants. Rick was telling a story about Wackenhut over dinner tonight about how they lost their contract to do security for the Department of Homeland Security building in DC over a horribly mishandled anthrax scare. So they lost their contract to keep the DHS safe while gaining another contract to keep migrants safe. That makes sense.

So tomorrow we'll be following one of the buses on its daily route. We'll try and offer food and water to the migrants (and we'll probably be denied). We'll have signs indicating solidarity with the migrants on the bus. And we'll be erecting Mexican-style shrines at each point where the buses stops, each with three crosses that say "NINOS" (children), "MADRES Y PADRES" (mothers and fathers), and "CUANTOS MAS?" (how many more?).

Anyway, enough for now. I might try and upload some pictures or something. Leave us a comment, let us know how you're doing. We'll be here until Sunday, and then the three of us head north either that night or Monday. We'll probably be in Denver by Wednesday. But look for more posts on here in the meantime. Sorry for the absence, but we didn't have internet in Mexico. Much love to all who read this,

Kyle

Service of Rememberence and Commitment

This morning we attended a memorial service at the wall between the US and Mexico near Douglas, AZ. We painted crosses on the wall in remembrance of those who have died in the desert near Douglas in the last year. We called out the names of those who have died in Cochise County and pounded on the wall with a mallet. The service was powerful and full of emotion, bringing together a 'commitment not to forget' as well as a message of hope. I was struck by the reading of the names, because those who had died were no longer a statistic, but real people with lives, dreams, and families.

Tonight, Kyle and I will be working at a center providing care to migrants who are dumped back in Mexico by the border patrol and John will be working there Sunday night. This will be the first opportunity we have to interact with migrant peoples and I am looking forward to being able to serve them.
-Tyler

Douglas, AZ

We are making last preparations this morning for our public action at the wall. In fact, the final call just came, so we need to head out right now. We'll be doing a prayer service at the wall and then reading the names of those who have died in the borderlands desert area and painting a cross on the wall for each of them. Hopefully we'll have a press release and some pictures for you up in a second.

Right now we're staying in Douglas, AZ and will be here for a couple more days. The next two nights and early mornings we'll be volunteering at a migrant processing center on the Mexico side of the border providing health care, water, and food (this is where border patrol brings the people they pick up in the desert). You can't miss signs that you are near the border. Besides the wall, the night is lit up by bright lights along the border, and there are border patrol cars everywhere. We even got shadowed by one (quite obviously) for a couple blocks. Got to go. -Kyle

Travels and Arrival

Over the past few days, we've traveled by car from Tyler's house in Denver, CO to a motel in Albuquerque, NM, to the home of Rick Ufford-Chase in Tucson, AZ, to the borderlands site of our first delegation events in Douglas, AZ. Unfortunately, we will not be able to post on this blog page nearly as often as we'd like to in the days to come. We've got a full schedule ahead of us, and from what we can tell, it is going to be very intense/sweet. We will be engaging in public action, which includes painting white crosses on the wall at the border among other things. We will also be meeting with human rights groups, government officials, and individuals on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border issue throughout the whole of our delegation. More to come on these events.

Denver II

On a totally unrelated note, watching Liverpool FC lose to AC Milan in the Champions League final is not the greatest way to start this trip. Oh well, we leave within a half hour.

Denver

John and I (Kyle) made it safely to Denver today. The plane was delayed 45 minutes, but it was no problem in the end. Of course, wouldn't you know it, but Denver too is cloudy and overcast. Anyway, as I write, Tyler is flexing his guitar hero muscles, and John is reading. Tommorow we'll leave in the early afternoon and drive to Albequerque, stay the night there, and then continue on to Tucson on Thursday. That's about all that's new with us. We hope you're well and will update you when we can.

Pre-delegation Thoughts

Redmond, WA – 9pm

It’s been a dreary day in the Puget Sound area. I (Kyle) arrived back on the west side of the state late last night after driving over here right after graduation. After a couple weeks of great weather in Spokane, the pouring rain between George and Ellensburg made for a rough reminder that Washington is known for its rain. But on that note, we needn’t worry about precipitation, as we’re heading to the desert southern Arizona tomorrow!

We haven’t received our itinerary as of yet, but we will in the next couple of days. When we have that in hand, we’ll be able to more accurately tell you what all we’re doing. John talked to the CPT delegation coordinator in their Chicago office today and she mentioned that we’ll be in Mexico for half of the trip and then in Douglas, Arizona for the rest of it.

John and I split our time today between reading the pre-delegation material, writing up press releases, and running some last minute errands. It still hasn’t sunk in yet that we’re actually going on this delegation. This past semester was especially intense, so we haven’t had a ton of time to devote to preparing ourselves for what we’re getting into. I don’t think any of us are exactly sure what sort of mentality you’re supposed to cultivate for a trip like this; the most similar trip I can think of was that of Mike (my roommate!), Zach, Nicola, and Eric (who is going on the Migrant Trail Walk at the same time we’re in Arizona) to the Christian Peace Witness in DC. But this is longer and more in-depth, and we’re not quite speaking to the powers that be as they were.

I don’t think the mission trip mindset works for this either, although maybe this is more like what a mission trip should be like. I recall hearing one of my professors who has much experience in Africa lamenting that mission trips often go into a situation assuming that they know the needs and solutions of a particular situation without taking time to sit back and listen to what the community itself has to say. I hope that these ten days will be characterized by such an attitude of curiosity and humility in us. Likewise, I hope that we are patient, diligent, and humble when it comes to dealing with people who might be opposed to what we are doing or learning.

Enough rambling. Tomorrow John and I fly to Denver at noon (which means we miss the Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan—ARGH), and then hang out at Tyler’s house until Wednesday. Then we’ll get in the car and drive through the night to Tucson, where the delegation starts. It’s a 12 to 16 hour drive, so we’ll be on the road for bit. Every bit of prayer regarding safety (and other things too, of course) is much appreciated!

If you have any questions, feel free to email any of us or Mike Vander Giessen, as we’ll be keeping him as up to date as anyone. John and Tyler will both have their phones with them, too.

Pre-trip Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 21, 2007

WHITWORTH STUDENTS TRAVEL TO ARIZONA BORDERLANDS WITH CPT DELEGATION

Kyle Navis, Tyler Schroeder and John Williamson, students at Whitworth College in Spokane, travel to Tucson, Arizona on Thursday, May 24 as part of a delegation sponsored by Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). More than 205 migrants died in the Arizona borderlands last year as tightened borders led economic migrants to risk their lives in the inhospitable desert. Douglas, Arizona, where CPT's seasonal presence has been based, is considered the most militarized city in the U.S. because of the large presence of U.S. Border Patrol agents. National Guard troops have also contributed to this militarization, even while private security contractors have taken over some border control functions. Anti-immigrant vigilantes have been active in the region as well.

Members of the CPT delegation will monitor human rights, engage in violence-deterrence activities, and confront unjust immigration policies through non-violent public witness. They will also meet on both sides of the border with human rights groups, government officials and individuals affected by the immigration policies.

Schroeder, Navis and Williamson will be available to share what they have learned about the challenges facing the people of the Arizona border region after June 6 and will return to Whitworth College in September.

Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative of the historic peace churches (Mennonites, Church of the Brethren and Quakers) with support and membership from a range of Catholic and Protestant denominations. CPT sends teams of trained peacemakers to places of conflict around the world, with a seasonal presence in the Arizona borderlands since May 2004. For more information about CPT, contact the Chicago office at 773-277-0253 or email peacemakers@cpt.org.