Spring break Borderlinks trip part II

So I wanted to write another post about the spring break trip that highlighted the positive things we saw. Borderlinks was very good at providing a balanced perspective of border issues.

We spent the night at a migrant resource center in Agua Prieta called CAME. The center is funded by the Catholic church and church members volunteer to cook, serve meals, and taking care of the daily activities. The center offers migrants warm meals a safe place to stay for a few nights while they are making arrangements to travel home or attempt to cross the border again.

After our stay at CAME we headed to CRREDA, a drug rehabilitation center. The economy of Agua Prieta (AP) is centered around drug trafficking and human trafficking. The rehab center is a combination of voluntary entry and family petition. They practice the 12 steps and also have occupational therapy where they sweep streets, build new dormitories on the CREEDA campus or clean grocery stores. I wish I had some pictures of the center, it is all built by the residents using donated materials. When we arrived they were just finishing up a new building that had been started only 4 days earlier.

We then went to Cafe Justo, a cooperative that allows coffee farmers in Southern Mexico to set their own price for the raw coffee which is then roasted, packaged, and marketed from this tiny shop in AP. The coffee was really good (this coming from a girl who doesn't really like coffee)! I recommend checking out their website at: justcoffee.org

We also visited a man in Nogales, Sonora who had worked in one of the infamous "Maquilladoras" and had then decided to go into business for himself. This is his sewing station where he makes aprons, non-static smocks, and other uniform pieces for the Maquillas in Nogales. He also does painting, hydraulics, hardware sales, and many other things to stay afloat. It reminded me of when I was young and I asked my mom "how much do you think I would make if I was a poet, and actress, AND a synchronized swimmer?"

We also went to a micro-credit agency that is currently helping over 2,000 clients start small businesses. There are lots of people on the Mexican side working to make it possible for people to support their families without having to leave for the US. We also met with groups giving vocational training in carpentry, sewing, computer use, and English. Many of these people have lived in the US and are trying to spare others the prejudice and exploitation they experienced here.

One of the last things we did before heading back stateside was a home stay in a Nogales neighborhood. Our "host mom" Rosita made us amazing chimichangas, pancakes, and beans for breakfast. This is Nick (a 2L at Penn), me, Rosita, and Sean, our Borderlinks guide.

I am so glad I was able to go on this trip and talk to so many groups with so many different ideas and experiences. I am not sure what the solution is, but I do hope to share my experience with others who did not get the chance to experience the border first-hand. It would take a week to share all of our meetings, emotions, and discussions, but I hope these blog posts give you an idea of what went on. Anyone interested in learning more about our trip should feel free to contact me or check out the Borderlinks website and schedule a trip of your own! borderlinks.org

Spring break Borderlinks trip

I returned from the borderlands late Friday night and have been trying to put my experiences into words. It is impossible to convey all that we saw and felt during our trip in a blog post, but I will do my best to convey the major issues we confronted.

In the early 1990's the US government began to construct walls and increase border security designed to funnel migrants to border crossings in increasingly remote parts of the Arizona desert. The trip now requires about 4 days on foot crossing the mountains and facing the blazing heat in the daytime and frigid temperatures at night. During the summer a person has to consume about 1 gallon of water PER HOUR to avoid becoming dehydrated. It is impossible to carry this much water and migrants can find themselves in dire situations very quickly. On average one person dies in the Arizona desert every day.

Some of them are unable to keep up with the group and the guide or "coyote" abandons them to their own devices. We heard the story of a 14-year-old Salvadorian girl who was left behind by her guide. Her mother sent photos to the US to help the searchers identify her when she was found. It took several weeks to locate and recover her body.

Our guides on the desert walk were members of the Samaritans, a group that patrols the main trails with food, water, and maps looking for migrants in need of help. This is one of many trails the migrants follow north to meeting points where they are picked up and taken in to Tucson.

The migrant trail is littered with empty water bottles, clothes, shoes, backpacks, toothpaste, and other every day items used in making the trip. Migrants leave these things behind because the less they are carrying the less they look like migrants. They usually bring a clean outfit to change into so they don't look like they have been walking in the desert for days.

Vendors on the Mexican side take advantage of the migrant traffic, backpacks, water, and other necessities for the journey cost many times more in the border towns than they do further south. Much of what we saw in the desert looked brand new.

In the summer migrants often walk at night and bed down in the brush during the heat of the day. The brush provides a place where the migrants are not visible from Border Patrol helicopters flying overhead.

We crossed into Naco, Mexico and visited a new migrant resource center founded by an American living in Arizona. The center offers food, water, coffee, clean clothes, blankets and finds shelter for migrants staying the night in an unfamiliar town. While we were there a young man with a badly wounded hand was taken to the hospital for medical attention. Border Patrol had wrapped his hand but he needed antibiotics and possible plastic surgery. The center also documents how long each migrant was detained and whether they were given food and water while in custody. Most of the migrants we met were held 15-18 hours without access to food or water. The center also helps those who wish to file complaints against the US Border Patrol contact the Mexican Consulate.

We also visited the infamous wall constructed out of leftover landing strips from the first Gulf War.

In Nogales, Sonora, Mexico a group of artists dedicated to public art have decorated the wall with art. The first installment was designed to be displayed on both sides of the border, but the US would not allow the artists to alter the wall. When the artists asked the Mexican government they said "go ahead, it's not our wall!"

There was also a great deal of graffiti on the Mexican side of the wall in addition to the formal art provided by local artists. I admire the efforts to turn such a hateful eyesore into a forum for expression.

Here is a closeup of a nasty-looking coyote. While many people admit that the coyotes are necessary they also say that the vast majority are bad people who only care about the money they are paid for shepherding the migrants accross the border and do not value human life.

This is the wall in part of Nogales. It has been open here for quite some time, but the National Guard is busily finishing it to prevent people from running over the border and escaping into the city of Nogales, Arizona. There is a large border patrol presence here and there are multiple camera towers being monitored at Border Patrol headquarters. The Border Patrol has also installed stadium lighting along the wall to deter night crossings. The lights are damaging the desert ecosystem.

This is the wall seen from a Mexican neighborhood. Many people on both sides of the border have stunning backyard views of the wall.

Our last full day in Tucson we attended immigration court and witnessed "Operation Streamline." The Tucson sector of the Border Patrol "apprehends" upwards of 1,000 people a day. All of them are finger printed and run through the system. The majority select "VR" or voluntary return. These migrants are sent back to the border in a large bus, but do not have a deportation or criminal record. Not everyone is so lucky. The Border Patrol has full discretion to select 40-60 migrants every day to be criminally prosecuted. Any of them with criminal records will be prosecuted for the crime of re-entry.

Those with no previous record plead guilty to the misdemeanor of illegal entry in order to avoid felony prosecution for illegal entry. In theory the defendants are entitled to a trial, but because it is so easy for the government to prove the case it is much safer to plead guilty. After they serve their time (anywhere from time served to 10 days for first-time offenders) they are then deported and now have a criminal record in the US that will come back to haunt them if they are caught trying to enter again.

Those with prior records (many of them prior illegal entry misdemeanors) enter into written plea agreements with the government to avoid the felony charge. The government offers a sentence of half the rediculously long terms for the felony in exchange for a guilty plea. The plea bargain gained popularity because it keeps defendants from appealing. If a defendant appeals the plea agreement is violated and the government will prosecute for the felony resulting in a multiple-year prison sentence. The whole process is highly coercive, arbitrary and resembles a cattle call. We spoke to the federal public defenders who said they have to advise their clients to plead guilty because they will likely get time served whereas if they decide to go to trial they will spend another 30 days in jail waiting for the trial date.

The whole situation is quite disheartening. We also met with several groups who gave us hope for positive change. I will write another post soon detailing the positive actions being taken on the Mexican side designed to provide people with a means of providing for their families without leaving for the US.

Sigh of Relief

Well, the appellate brief is turned in and Spring Break is just around the corner... This week I met with the International Human Rights Advocates (IHRA) group that is writing syllabi for a new Human Rights Master's program at Gulu University in Uganda. I joined the group in February and am writing a syllabus for a course on Children's Rights. It is a really amazing project and I am very happy to have had the opportunity to contribute.

This past weekend was the Spring Fling. It was a lot of fun, and the new dress I found worked out really well. It was nice to dance and hang out with my classmates and not think about school for a while. The venue was a little odd, but it did provide plenty of room for dancing, so I can't complain.

Tonight I will be competing in the Second Annual Penn Law Idol. I am not sure yet which song I will massacre; there are so many choices! Tomorrow the Post Acceptance Housing Subcommittee will be meeting to start pairing admitted students with hosts for Admitted Students Weekend. On Friday we leave for the IHRA trip to the Mexico border. I am excited to learn more about the current immigration situation at the border. I am not really sure what to expect, but I am looking forward to the trip. I finally found a two wonderful people to look in on my boy while I am gone, so I don't have to go to the plan B my dad suggested of finding a homeless person to stay in my apartment while I am gone. Always thinking, my dad.

And, of course, some photos for your viewing pleasure.

Survival Day!!!

Today it has been 11 years since I was hit by a truck and survived! These are the beautiful flowers my mom and dad sent to me to commemorate one more year alive. I went to Thai food for lunch with my friend Lindsay, and after class we went dress shopping for Spring Fling dresses. We were both successful (!) in a span of just two hours. I think that may be a record. Lots to do in the next two weeks: my appellate brief is due, a rough draft of the Uganda curriculum is due, and there are some fundraising activities for our Mexico border trip planned as well.

GRATUITOUS GORDON PICTURES!!!

Here is Gordon playing with his favorite toy and also using my laptop as a pillow.

BOTSWANA!!!!

I have been offered an internship at the University of Botswana Legal Clinic for this summer!!!! I am sooooooo excited I can hardly contain myself. The Clinic is one of the only places offering legal services to the indigent population in Botswana. I will be the first Penn student sent to this Clinic, but there will be several other Penn graduate students working in different places in Gaborone.
Other things are also picking up: the Equal Justice Foundation auction is this Thursday, the first Penn Preview Day is Friday, the first draft of a syllabus I am working on for a masters course in Uganda on children's rights is due to the International Human Rights Advocates on March 3, my appellate brief is due March 5, the Spring Break trip to the Mexico border is less than 3 weeks away, and Admitted Students Weekend is March 28-29. Maybe after that I will have a second to think. I'm not betting on it! I guess I wouldn't want it any other way...

No post is complete without a Gordon update. He seems to be doing really, really well. We are making progress on the toilet training slowly, but surely. I think tomorrow it will be time to take the next big step! He is 90% delightful, 10% scratchy.

Blerg

This has been a long week, but happily it's almost over! I am looking forward to the weekend and an opportunity to get myself organized and back on a good sleep cycle. I feel really lucky because I still really like law school. We will see how I feel just before my appellate brief is due! We are "representing" a Seattle street performer who says that the rules for performers in the Seattle Center violate his First Amendment rights. It is a real case, and a pretty interesting subject, so it shouldn't be too bad.

This week in Constitutional Law we read Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, and Gonzales v. Carhart. It has lead to some interesting debates (I would expect nothing less) and gotten the class riled up. It definitely has me worried about the course the Supreme Court is on lately! There have been other terrible decisions that have come down from the Roberts court recently, so it looks like the Bush administration train wreck will have ramifications on our liberty for years to come.

The summer job search has been taking a back seat to everything else I am doing, but this weekend I hope to get another bunch of applications sent. Gordon is doing well, he has been more snuggly and less injurious lately--my hands, arms and legs couldn't be happier! I am hoping to move to the next phase of toilet training this weekend, so keep your fingers crossed that I won't find special "presents" in unhappy places this time! Above is a picture of the Gordmeister playing with a broccoli floret. He is high in entertainment value!

Birthday wishes and etc.

Happy birthday Erin, Hedda, and Sonya! It is a busy day in the birthday department today.

Hard to believe it is the start of the fourth week of Spring Semester already! Not much to tell, I have been reading, cleaning, and working on stuff for the Post Acceptance Committee lately. The Equal Justice Foundation auction is coming up and I will be volunteering to help out if they need me. On Wednesday I am meeting with the group that is going to the border for Spring Break. I am excited to find out more about that trip. Next Monday is a presentation from a very exciting-sounding firm with offices all over the world. Other than that, I have still got to find myself an internship for the summer.

Gordon is doing well. He was snuggly and not in attack mode this morning, a welcome change of pace! Toilet training is underway, but before I can implement the next step I will need to take a trip to Target for some supplies.

Time to get the laundry from the dryer and go to the grocery store!