June 30
We have no internet in the convent so I went for a bit of a walk today to a coffee shop in Tucson Mall that has Wii-Fii. It was a bit of a hike, 1.4 miles to be exact.
The temperature outside I am told is approximately 38 degrees Celsius. One interesting thing I noticed was the almost complete absence of people outside, there were a few waiting at bus stops and a lot of cars driving by but it seems I was the only one walking.
I would occasionally stop and ask people at bus shelters if I was going the right way. Fortunately I was and they confirmed, but everyone was asking me why am I walking, don’t I know it isn’t safe when it’s that hot outside. I was wearing my hat and kept walking, but after about 40 minutes I started feeling a bit strange and went to a K-Mart and bought a Gatorade which I mixed with water. By the time I got to the mall, sweat was pouring off me and I felt extremely sunburnt. It was a bit less than an hour (I did get lost for a while). I got to the mall OK and am perfectly fine but have to say I was struck by how much of an effect hot weather can have on you, especially if you aren’t prepared for it.
It was a good thing because it was a bit of a preparation for our work in the desert. I now understand why NMD insists that patrol members keep themselves hydrated with water and wear hats. Walking through Tucson in this type of heat is one thing, it will be another navigating through terrain that is filled with rocks, cactuses, and desert animals.
I was going to say this helps me understand what the migrants go through, but that would be too much of a stretch. Their experience can’t be that easily replicated. I had drink with me, and could always stop and ask people for directions. I am not running at night and hiding under rocks and desert plantlife during the day. I am not traveling nonstop for several days. If I stumble or fall and twist my ankle, someone will help me and I will not be left behind by my fellow travelers and a human smuggler who is making a huge profit. My arrival or failure to arrive will not effect whether or not my family will have enough money for adequate food and shelter or whether I see them again. I am not being hunted by people whose mandate is to arrest me, lock me up and then deport me (and whether or not I am treated as a human being in the process depends on the discretion of the officers in whose custody I am). I am also not seen by cartel members, drug smugglers, gangsters or criminals as a walking target, because they know they can do what they want to me and I can’t complain to law enforcement. I am not traveling with my wife, or the kids who are mostly likely in pain from the blisters and sunburn and are either crying or are too dehydrated and tired to say anything, and are most likely to be among the bodies left in the desert if things go bad.
Everyone I have spoken to, from Ruth to the NMD members, describe the terrible ordeal these people go through. It is hard to even begin to imagine.
I am almost finished my blogging for today and will either walk back or take the bus, we’ll see.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Some Tucson pics
Coca Cola. I can't say I am a big fan of it and I avoid drinking it, partially due to the fact it isn't too healthy of a drink (not that other soft drinks are) but more to the fact that union leaders in Coke plants in countries like Colombia who have spoken up for their rights and the rights of workers have in some cases been murdered. But ummm... it is "scrumptious".
The murals around some of the neighbourhoods are pretty cool, I like the art
Tucson first impressions
June 29
The first thing that literally hits you after you get off the plane and out of the airport at Tucson is the hot air. Imagine walking into a sauna and you will more or less get a picture. For the first few minutes it is so stuffy that I am left wondering how I will be able to make the next few weeks here. Then I get used to it, like everyone else.
The city is beautiful, and unlike anything I have seen in Winnipeg. Everywhere you look there are mountains surrounding you. It doesn’t matter where you are, you will see them in the distance. They look very grand and majestic. Then there are the cactuses, some up to several metres tall. I am told they are a special type of cactus that is only found in Arizona, I don’t know the name of it but will have to find out.
NMD’s base is a former convent that is part of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The church is really neat, it is brown bricks and looks different from churches I have seen in Winnipeg, it also has a courtyard. The church generously agreed to allow the group to use the former convent to stay while in Tucson. Food is provided to us and we sleep in rooms that are quite spacious but have no beds or mattresses so our sleeping bags have to do. The NMD members I have met so far are extremely friendly and outgoing. They are coming back from two weeks in the desert, and have stories about meeting and providing aid to migrants as well as encounters with the Border Patrol that were sometimes friendly and at other times not. I hear stories of 16 year old migrant youth being picked up and locked up in paddy wagons, the volunteers offered the officer water and food to give them; he said they were fed and provided with water already, however when one of the volunteers asked the boys the same question in Spanish they said they weren’t. Stories of hungry migrants coming to the camp and asking for water and food and being provided with these essentials before being sent on their way. Of helicopters flying low over the NMD camp at night and shining searchlights on the tents making it difficult for the volunteers inside them to sleep.
Other than the lack of access to a place with internet that does not involve an hour or more of walking, my only pet peeve is the water. You know how in Canada if you want cold water you turn to cold and if you want it warm or hot you turn to hot? Where we live it doesn’t really work that way. If you turn the tap to hot water you get hot and if you turn to cold you get lukewarm that becomes very warm in a matter of seconds. Luckily we have a fridge and a freezer and everyone chills the water and use ice cubes. That will definitely not be an option in the desert and I’ve been told that when we get to the camp, the water will only be warmer.
I am looking forward to going, and the conditions are a small preparation for the desert.
This is not my first time in Tucson. I came here in December 2009 to learn more about the situation on the border. It influenced my decision to return and volunteer with NMD. It is far less hot in December. :-)
The first thing that literally hits you after you get off the plane and out of the airport at Tucson is the hot air. Imagine walking into a sauna and you will more or less get a picture. For the first few minutes it is so stuffy that I am left wondering how I will be able to make the next few weeks here. Then I get used to it, like everyone else.
The city is beautiful, and unlike anything I have seen in Winnipeg. Everywhere you look there are mountains surrounding you. It doesn’t matter where you are, you will see them in the distance. They look very grand and majestic. Then there are the cactuses, some up to several metres tall. I am told they are a special type of cactus that is only found in Arizona, I don’t know the name of it but will have to find out.
NMD’s base is a former convent that is part of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The church is really neat, it is brown bricks and looks different from churches I have seen in Winnipeg, it also has a courtyard. The church generously agreed to allow the group to use the former convent to stay while in Tucson. Food is provided to us and we sleep in rooms that are quite spacious but have no beds or mattresses so our sleeping bags have to do. The NMD members I have met so far are extremely friendly and outgoing. They are coming back from two weeks in the desert, and have stories about meeting and providing aid to migrants as well as encounters with the Border Patrol that were sometimes friendly and at other times not. I hear stories of 16 year old migrant youth being picked up and locked up in paddy wagons, the volunteers offered the officer water and food to give them; he said they were fed and provided with water already, however when one of the volunteers asked the boys the same question in Spanish they said they weren’t. Stories of hungry migrants coming to the camp and asking for water and food and being provided with these essentials before being sent on their way. Of helicopters flying low over the NMD camp at night and shining searchlights on the tents making it difficult for the volunteers inside them to sleep.
Other than the lack of access to a place with internet that does not involve an hour or more of walking, my only pet peeve is the water. You know how in Canada if you want cold water you turn to cold and if you want it warm or hot you turn to hot? Where we live it doesn’t really work that way. If you turn the tap to hot water you get hot and if you turn to cold you get lukewarm that becomes very warm in a matter of seconds. Luckily we have a fridge and a freezer and everyone chills the water and use ice cubes. That will definitely not be an option in the desert and I’ve been told that when we get to the camp, the water will only be warmer.
I am looking forward to going, and the conditions are a small preparation for the desert.
This is not my first time in Tucson. I came here in December 2009 to learn more about the situation on the border. It influenced my decision to return and volunteer with NMD. It is far less hot in December. :-)
You know you are in Arizona when...
The famous and beautiful Suarez cactus is, I am told, unique to Arizona. They grow up to several metres tall at times.
Airports at Minneapolis and Tucson
The view from the airport in Tucson. You can see the mountains at a distance. It is impossible to go anywhere in Tucson and not see them.
The airport in Minneapolis, just before the flight to Tucson.
People I met at the airport (2)
June 29
Ruth
During my flight to Tucson, I had the opportunity to interview a woman sitting next to me. She is middle aged, retired, and is visiting a family member in Tucson. She used to own several small businesses. I’ll call her Ruth.
I told Ruth I am coming to Arizona and am interested by the whole illegal migration situation. I asked her if she’d mind answering a few questions. She obliged.
Ruth has nothing against immigrants, she says, only illegal ones.
“They are dying to get in… literally. Thousands die, put their lives on the line. People stuffed into cars, semis. They come over here, get caught and sent back”.
Ruth emphasizes she sees this as a tragedy. “it is a very sad situation, they are desperate.”
She says she and other Americans though are very resentful because the illegals “steal jobs.”
She says the problem started when decades ago, people would let them work in their yards. The migrants got more and more work and would then take the money back to Mexico, where, according to Ruth, “they go across the border and live like kings”.
I asked her why she thinks they cross.
“There are no jobs in Mexico, there is poverty”
I asked her why that is.
“Because it’s a third world country. The government takes all of their money away”.
I told her that some people believe that NAFTA and other American and Canadian trade policies contribute to situations that make people in developing countries more poor.
She dismissed such a notion immediately.
“The US gives Mexico money, their leaders take it. It gives money to all countries. All of the leaders are corrupt, not just in Mexico. They don’t value life the same way we do. “
She said it is unfair to blame NAFTA or US policies for poverty in Mexico.
“We got everything, they got nothing. The US is helping Mexico, we give and they flock to our country to look for work. They should go get jobs in their country”
“A lot of US companies go to Mexico and get cheap labour. It is good for the Americans and it is good for the Mexicans.”
She then repeats that the migrants are just human beings and want to live like everyone else. It is a very sad situation.
Ruth’s relatives work in a hospital and have treated undocumented migrants who have no healthcare. She says they are obliged to. Private hospitals aren’t. Ruth heard a story from her daughter about a doctor in a private hospital who turned a patient away because she was a Mexican. A nurse came and informed him there was a severely sick woman who showed up and needed someone to have a look at her. He came out of his office and had one look at her.
“She has Mexican-itis” he said, and walked away. She later died. Since it was a private hospital he will face no consequences.
Ruth was shaken up by the story and believes he should have been sued. Even if she is against illegal immigration, she doesn’t think it’s right for people to die. She says if she saw illegal migrants in the desert, she would give them water and tell them to go back home. Then she would call the Border Patrol to make sure they actually did.
She acknowledges that most of the migrants are hard workers. “As a rule, they do a good job. They work for little or nothing”. However, as she points out, that means Americans cannot get jobs, because employers lower their wages. Resentment is directed at the Mexicans. Once in a while there are immigration raids where the “illegals” are deported, but the employers get a small fine.
She shares a shocking story that highlights the desperation and poverty of some migrants working in the US. A few years ago, a friend of hers in Columbus, Ohio, was building condos and among the workers he hired were some “illegals”. After a day of work and the workers went home, 15 Mexican migrant workers snuck back into an empty room that was recently constructed. They were homeless and had no place to stay, the money they were making was being sent back home and they didn’t have enough to pay for a place to sleep. They probably planned to spend the night at the site and be up and ready to work the next morning. Tragically, there was some kind of leak and the room filled with carbon monoxide gas. All fifteen of them died in their sleep.
She also acknowledged that there are some criminal elements coming across the border. Although most of the migrants are, in her words, desperate people coming to work, some also do carry drugs. Several years ago, a rancher close to the Mexican border was murdered, and the suspects were illegal migrants. The rancher was very well known and people were very shaken up by the news. Ruth also said that some migrants who come to the US are unable to get jobs and are either unwilling or unable to go back to Mexico, so they join gangs.
Ruth also shared she is a Republican, and thinks Barack Obama is doing a terrible job. She believes Bush was a better president because “Obama wants to give everything to the government and Bush wanted to give everything to the people”. Kind of like Robin Hood, I guess.
However, she is against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan “because they are a waste”. She then shares some interesting things she heard about Islam and Judaism and the middle east in general.
“We shouldn’t have gone into Iraq. It is full of Muslim Arabians, of Jewish descent. They don’t believe Jesus Christ was born. I don’t support Israel, we should get out of there. The Jews haven’t learned anything for thousands of years. The Jews and Muslims hate each other, that is never going to change. The Muslims believe in a god called Abba”.
The Catholics are next on the chopping block. As Ruth informs me, “the church encourages them to sin and to go to confession so they can sin again.”
Any elementary knowledge of Islam, Judaism, Catholic Christianity or the most basic understanding of the middle east is enough to show the facts are otherwise.
While I did not agree with everything Ruth said, it was great to hear her opinion. I don't know how representative it is of US public opinion, although she told me that in Tucson most people are very opposed to "illegals". She also offered me her cell number to call if I ever got into trouble or was in need- I met her on the flight and was a total stranger to her yet she made me this offer. There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that if I was in a bad situation she would try to lend a hand. I don’t know many other people who would do to someone they only knew for a few hours. She wished me a great trip, we shook hands and went our separate ways.
Ruth
During my flight to Tucson, I had the opportunity to interview a woman sitting next to me. She is middle aged, retired, and is visiting a family member in Tucson. She used to own several small businesses. I’ll call her Ruth.
I told Ruth I am coming to Arizona and am interested by the whole illegal migration situation. I asked her if she’d mind answering a few questions. She obliged.
Ruth has nothing against immigrants, she says, only illegal ones.
“They are dying to get in… literally. Thousands die, put their lives on the line. People stuffed into cars, semis. They come over here, get caught and sent back”.
Ruth emphasizes she sees this as a tragedy. “it is a very sad situation, they are desperate.”
She says she and other Americans though are very resentful because the illegals “steal jobs.”
She says the problem started when decades ago, people would let them work in their yards. The migrants got more and more work and would then take the money back to Mexico, where, according to Ruth, “they go across the border and live like kings”.
I asked her why she thinks they cross.
“There are no jobs in Mexico, there is poverty”
I asked her why that is.
“Because it’s a third world country. The government takes all of their money away”.
I told her that some people believe that NAFTA and other American and Canadian trade policies contribute to situations that make people in developing countries more poor.
She dismissed such a notion immediately.
“The US gives Mexico money, their leaders take it. It gives money to all countries. All of the leaders are corrupt, not just in Mexico. They don’t value life the same way we do. “
She said it is unfair to blame NAFTA or US policies for poverty in Mexico.
“We got everything, they got nothing. The US is helping Mexico, we give and they flock to our country to look for work. They should go get jobs in their country”
“A lot of US companies go to Mexico and get cheap labour. It is good for the Americans and it is good for the Mexicans.”
She then repeats that the migrants are just human beings and want to live like everyone else. It is a very sad situation.
Ruth’s relatives work in a hospital and have treated undocumented migrants who have no healthcare. She says they are obliged to. Private hospitals aren’t. Ruth heard a story from her daughter about a doctor in a private hospital who turned a patient away because she was a Mexican. A nurse came and informed him there was a severely sick woman who showed up and needed someone to have a look at her. He came out of his office and had one look at her.
“She has Mexican-itis” he said, and walked away. She later died. Since it was a private hospital he will face no consequences.
Ruth was shaken up by the story and believes he should have been sued. Even if she is against illegal immigration, she doesn’t think it’s right for people to die. She says if she saw illegal migrants in the desert, she would give them water and tell them to go back home. Then she would call the Border Patrol to make sure they actually did.
She acknowledges that most of the migrants are hard workers. “As a rule, they do a good job. They work for little or nothing”. However, as she points out, that means Americans cannot get jobs, because employers lower their wages. Resentment is directed at the Mexicans. Once in a while there are immigration raids where the “illegals” are deported, but the employers get a small fine.
She shares a shocking story that highlights the desperation and poverty of some migrants working in the US. A few years ago, a friend of hers in Columbus, Ohio, was building condos and among the workers he hired were some “illegals”. After a day of work and the workers went home, 15 Mexican migrant workers snuck back into an empty room that was recently constructed. They were homeless and had no place to stay, the money they were making was being sent back home and they didn’t have enough to pay for a place to sleep. They probably planned to spend the night at the site and be up and ready to work the next morning. Tragically, there was some kind of leak and the room filled with carbon monoxide gas. All fifteen of them died in their sleep.
She also acknowledged that there are some criminal elements coming across the border. Although most of the migrants are, in her words, desperate people coming to work, some also do carry drugs. Several years ago, a rancher close to the Mexican border was murdered, and the suspects were illegal migrants. The rancher was very well known and people were very shaken up by the news. Ruth also said that some migrants who come to the US are unable to get jobs and are either unwilling or unable to go back to Mexico, so they join gangs.
Ruth also shared she is a Republican, and thinks Barack Obama is doing a terrible job. She believes Bush was a better president because “Obama wants to give everything to the government and Bush wanted to give everything to the people”. Kind of like Robin Hood, I guess.
However, she is against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan “because they are a waste”. She then shares some interesting things she heard about Islam and Judaism and the middle east in general.
“We shouldn’t have gone into Iraq. It is full of Muslim Arabians, of Jewish descent. They don’t believe Jesus Christ was born. I don’t support Israel, we should get out of there. The Jews haven’t learned anything for thousands of years. The Jews and Muslims hate each other, that is never going to change. The Muslims believe in a god called Abba”.
The Catholics are next on the chopping block. As Ruth informs me, “the church encourages them to sin and to go to confession so they can sin again.”
Any elementary knowledge of Islam, Judaism, Catholic Christianity or the most basic understanding of the middle east is enough to show the facts are otherwise.
While I did not agree with everything Ruth said, it was great to hear her opinion. I don't know how representative it is of US public opinion, although she told me that in Tucson most people are very opposed to "illegals". She also offered me her cell number to call if I ever got into trouble or was in need- I met her on the flight and was a total stranger to her yet she made me this offer. There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that if I was in a bad situation she would try to lend a hand. I don’t know many other people who would do to someone they only knew for a few hours. She wished me a great trip, we shook hands and went our separate ways.
People I met at the airport (1)
June 29
Customs
As I left my parents and girlfriend at the airport, the first people I met were the US Customs agents. It was quite interesting, because their job is to ask about what is the purpose of my visit and I couldn’t exactly tell them and expect to not be detained or denied entry. I didn’t want to lie to them but couldn’t tell them the full truth either.
“What are you going to be doing in the US?”
“Well sir, I am really glad you asked me that. You see, I am going to be working with a group called No More Deaths at provides food, water and first aid to people who were driven into poverty by facors beyond their control that include the corruption of their leaders as well as economic decisions made by our leaders and are forced to cross into your country illegally to look for work. We will also be documenting mistreatment of detained migrants by your Border Patrol officers. Can I come in now?”
Wouldn’t have gone over well and if I am not allowed to go I can’t do much good.
So this is what actually happened:
The officer behind the desk looks at me and casually asks where I am going.
“To Tucson, Arizona”
“Doing what?”
“Camping” (we will be camping out in the desert where the migrants come)
The atmosphere changes a bit and he looks at me more intensely.
“Where are you meeting?”
“Sacred Heart Church” (where NMD stays in Tucson, it is a former convent). He googles it and sure enough, it pops up.
“What will you be doing?”
“Camping.”
“So what do you do?”
“I’m a substitute teacher.”
“Where do you teach?”
I list off 2 divisions.
“Do you work with disabled kids?”
“Yeah, I work with all students”.
“So who are you meeting in Arizona?”
I give him the name of our Karen, our coordinator.
“Where in Arizona are you going camping?” I tell him Karen knows, she’s my friend who lives there and I’ll find out when I get there. I don’t know exactly where the desert camps are, except that they are close to the border
“Are you sure you aren’t going there to volunteer?”
I repeated I am going camping.
“Because some people go there to volunteer”.
“Oh yeah”.
“So are you coming back to substitute teaching next year?”
“Yeah”.
“It’s very interesting in Arizona”.
“Why do you say that?”
He pauses and looks a bit confused.
“It’s just really hot”
“Oh yeah”.
He waves me through. I have to say I was quite impressed by his persistence. He was good at changing the topic and it seems like he was trying to catch me off guard by the questions. The last time I went through customs like this was Ben Gurion airport, only I was questioned 5 times by Israeli airport staff on my way out of the country. This was after my time with CPT and ISM.
I wanted to be upfront with him but also wanted to avoid problems with entry. I have full respect for him and he was doing his job quite well. It was an interesting several minutes.
Customs
As I left my parents and girlfriend at the airport, the first people I met were the US Customs agents. It was quite interesting, because their job is to ask about what is the purpose of my visit and I couldn’t exactly tell them and expect to not be detained or denied entry. I didn’t want to lie to them but couldn’t tell them the full truth either.
“What are you going to be doing in the US?”
“Well sir, I am really glad you asked me that. You see, I am going to be working with a group called No More Deaths at provides food, water and first aid to people who were driven into poverty by facors beyond their control that include the corruption of their leaders as well as economic decisions made by our leaders and are forced to cross into your country illegally to look for work. We will also be documenting mistreatment of detained migrants by your Border Patrol officers. Can I come in now?”
Wouldn’t have gone over well and if I am not allowed to go I can’t do much good.
So this is what actually happened:
The officer behind the desk looks at me and casually asks where I am going.
“To Tucson, Arizona”
“Doing what?”
“Camping” (we will be camping out in the desert where the migrants come)
The atmosphere changes a bit and he looks at me more intensely.
“Where are you meeting?”
“Sacred Heart Church” (where NMD stays in Tucson, it is a former convent). He googles it and sure enough, it pops up.
“What will you be doing?”
“Camping.”
“So what do you do?”
“I’m a substitute teacher.”
“Where do you teach?”
I list off 2 divisions.
“Do you work with disabled kids?”
“Yeah, I work with all students”.
“So who are you meeting in Arizona?”
I give him the name of our Karen, our coordinator.
“Where in Arizona are you going camping?” I tell him Karen knows, she’s my friend who lives there and I’ll find out when I get there. I don’t know exactly where the desert camps are, except that they are close to the border
“Are you sure you aren’t going there to volunteer?”
I repeated I am going camping.
“Because some people go there to volunteer”.
“Oh yeah”.
“So are you coming back to substitute teaching next year?”
“Yeah”.
“It’s very interesting in Arizona”.
“Why do you say that?”
He pauses and looks a bit confused.
“It’s just really hot”
“Oh yeah”.
He waves me through. I have to say I was quite impressed by his persistence. He was good at changing the topic and it seems like he was trying to catch me off guard by the questions. The last time I went through customs like this was Ben Gurion airport, only I was questioned 5 times by Israeli airport staff on my way out of the country. This was after my time with CPT and ISM.
I wanted to be upfront with him but also wanted to avoid problems with entry. I have full respect for him and he was doing his job quite well. It was an interesting several minutes.
Hello from the US of A
June 29
It is 10:20 AM, and I have arrived in Minneapolis after a 1 and a half hour flight from Winnipeg. My flight to Tucson is less than an hour away.
I will be in Arizona for the next 5 weeks. I am going to be volunteering with a humanitarian/human rights group called No More Deaths. NMD is one of several groups in Arizona that provides food, water and medical aid to Mexican and other mostly South and Latin American migrants coming across the American border illegally to look for work. They do very controversial work.
Mexico is the third largest country in North America. It is also one of the signatories to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that was passed between political and business leaders in Canada, the United States of America and Mexico in 1994. NAFTA was supposed to make doing business easier for all parties and in theory to raise living standards. While in Canada and the United States the pros and cons are debatable, in Mexico one of the results of the deal was the impoverishment and displacement of millions of Mexican farmers who lost their jobs after rules were passed severely limiting their corn exports to the US and Canada, while forcing Mexico to buy American corn. Millions had to leave their farms and only source of income. NAFTA and other trade agreements between Mexico and other countries in Latin and South America with the States and Canada, as well as conditions imposed by institutions like the World Bank and IMF, resulted among other things in cuts of local government services and aid to farmers as well as lowering of wages in some cases to make business more profitable for Western companies. These measures have greatly contributed to poverty in Mexico and other countries in the region, making it impossible for many to support themselves. Other factors include corruption in these countries.
Hundreds of thousands of people from Mexico and other countries try to cross the border into the US to work so they can make enough money to send home. Most cannot get in legally, and given the choice between not being able to support their families and breaking American immigration laws and crossing the border illegally to work at very low paying jobs by US standards but that will help them support the people back home, they choose the latter. They cross through the Sonora Desert, where thousands make it, other thousands are caught and deported; and hundreds each year die trying to cross. The most common causes of death are dehydration and heatstroke. Others are killed by bandits who prey on them, seeing an easy target. Some die in US Border Patrol custody in disputed circumstances. Victims include men, women and children.
NMD sets up camps in the desert close to the US-Mexican border, and volunteers go out on patrols to look for migrants who are in need of assistance. We do not help anyone cross, as that would be illegal. Migrants are provided with water, food and first aid. The work is legal but very controversial. Many Americans feel the migrants are coming to steal jobs and fear of criminal elements coming across. While it is true that most migrants come simply because they want to work, gangs also do come across the border and drugs are smuggled as well. There is resentment among many towards the migrants and those who help them.
I am here because as a Christian, I am honoured to take up Christ’s call to serve Him- what is done to the hungry and homeless and sick is done to Him directly, as He says in Matthew 25:31-49. Dramatic as this may sound, by meeting the migrants I am given an opportunity to meet Him. That is what He says though and who can pass up an opportunity like that?
I am also here because, like it or not, a major reason people are crossing the border and dying in the desert is the result of American and to a lesser extent, Canadian trade policies. As a citizen of a democratic country, I help elect leaders and in a way therefore share responsibility for their actions. Mexico too is a democracy, but it is a democracy where being too vocal against some government decisions can end in death. Political repression in Mexico is a very grim reality, as reported by groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and other human rights NGOs. We have more opportunity to speak out against exploitation and unfair trade practices and should do so. Therefore I feel obligation to the people who have been made desperate partially because of our decisions.
Thirdly, it is fun to travel.
I am looking forward to this ministry and thank God for being able to do this. My deepest thanks to my family, friends and people from church who have supported and continue to support this through prayer, financial help and encouragement. God bless you.
There will be some differences between this blog and my Israel/Palestine one. Unlike in Jerusalem and the West Bank, I will be having access to my blog only once or twice every week or perhaps every 2 weeks after we head off into the desert early next week. I will write the actual date an entry was written at the top of each blog post in boldletters. Also, it is very likely that most of the migrants we meet will refuse to be photographed.
It is 10:20 AM, and I have arrived in Minneapolis after a 1 and a half hour flight from Winnipeg. My flight to Tucson is less than an hour away.
I will be in Arizona for the next 5 weeks. I am going to be volunteering with a humanitarian/human rights group called No More Deaths. NMD is one of several groups in Arizona that provides food, water and medical aid to Mexican and other mostly South and Latin American migrants coming across the American border illegally to look for work. They do very controversial work.
Mexico is the third largest country in North America. It is also one of the signatories to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that was passed between political and business leaders in Canada, the United States of America and Mexico in 1994. NAFTA was supposed to make doing business easier for all parties and in theory to raise living standards. While in Canada and the United States the pros and cons are debatable, in Mexico one of the results of the deal was the impoverishment and displacement of millions of Mexican farmers who lost their jobs after rules were passed severely limiting their corn exports to the US and Canada, while forcing Mexico to buy American corn. Millions had to leave their farms and only source of income. NAFTA and other trade agreements between Mexico and other countries in Latin and South America with the States and Canada, as well as conditions imposed by institutions like the World Bank and IMF, resulted among other things in cuts of local government services and aid to farmers as well as lowering of wages in some cases to make business more profitable for Western companies. These measures have greatly contributed to poverty in Mexico and other countries in the region, making it impossible for many to support themselves. Other factors include corruption in these countries.
Hundreds of thousands of people from Mexico and other countries try to cross the border into the US to work so they can make enough money to send home. Most cannot get in legally, and given the choice between not being able to support their families and breaking American immigration laws and crossing the border illegally to work at very low paying jobs by US standards but that will help them support the people back home, they choose the latter. They cross through the Sonora Desert, where thousands make it, other thousands are caught and deported; and hundreds each year die trying to cross. The most common causes of death are dehydration and heatstroke. Others are killed by bandits who prey on them, seeing an easy target. Some die in US Border Patrol custody in disputed circumstances. Victims include men, women and children.
NMD sets up camps in the desert close to the US-Mexican border, and volunteers go out on patrols to look for migrants who are in need of assistance. We do not help anyone cross, as that would be illegal. Migrants are provided with water, food and first aid. The work is legal but very controversial. Many Americans feel the migrants are coming to steal jobs and fear of criminal elements coming across. While it is true that most migrants come simply because they want to work, gangs also do come across the border and drugs are smuggled as well. There is resentment among many towards the migrants and those who help them.
I am here because as a Christian, I am honoured to take up Christ’s call to serve Him- what is done to the hungry and homeless and sick is done to Him directly, as He says in Matthew 25:31-49. Dramatic as this may sound, by meeting the migrants I am given an opportunity to meet Him. That is what He says though and who can pass up an opportunity like that?
I am also here because, like it or not, a major reason people are crossing the border and dying in the desert is the result of American and to a lesser extent, Canadian trade policies. As a citizen of a democratic country, I help elect leaders and in a way therefore share responsibility for their actions. Mexico too is a democracy, but it is a democracy where being too vocal against some government decisions can end in death. Political repression in Mexico is a very grim reality, as reported by groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and other human rights NGOs. We have more opportunity to speak out against exploitation and unfair trade practices and should do so. Therefore I feel obligation to the people who have been made desperate partially because of our decisions.
Thirdly, it is fun to travel.
I am looking forward to this ministry and thank God for being able to do this. My deepest thanks to my family, friends and people from church who have supported and continue to support this through prayer, financial help and encouragement. God bless you.
There will be some differences between this blog and my Israel/Palestine one. Unlike in Jerusalem and the West Bank, I will be having access to my blog only once or twice every week or perhaps every 2 weeks after we head off into the desert early next week. I will write the actual date an entry was written at the top of each blog post in boldletters. Also, it is very likely that most of the migrants we meet will refuse to be photographed.
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