High School BorderLinks - Day 6

Saturday, June 30
Tal Jacobs

Today we woke up and had breakfast with our homestay families. It was one of the best breakfasts I have ever had, with steak ranchero, pancakes, and tortillas. We got up early to help our host families distribute food to deported migrants. Every Saturday the women from our host families prepared food for these migrants. This is an especially valuable service as migrants receive little nourishment while in American custody and are often released back to Nogales during the hottest part of the day. We were able to provide them with solid lunches and a nutritional juice made of melon, milk, and oatmeal.

This activity was a valuable experience because we got to meet a few more migrants and know their stories. It was especially moving to see their condition as they had just arrived from the desert. One group had been walking for days in the desert with little to no water. Another mother and father showed up with their five year old son who they said had not complained once during his two day trek across the desert and two attempts at crossing the border. It was heart wrenching see the sadness coexisting with the innocence in his eyes. I also learned more of the difficulty that migrants face as some guides, called “coyotes,” stopped the migrants that they were leading from getting food. Instead, they gathered them to attempt another cross so that they would receive their money. We also learned first-hand from one man the harsh and abusive nature of the border patrol. Later that day, we met with a government funded organization called Grupo Beta. They worked to provide service and care for deported migrants.

That evening, we had our final reflection amidst the presence of a monumental sculpture by border artists Alberto Morackis and Guadalupe Serrano. It was an original piece of the wall on the border. On either side, men with raw muscle and sinew visible pushed against the wall in various displays of effort. At our reflection, we shared the most impactful moments of the trip and decided what action we were going to take at home to improve the issue of immigration.

One of the most important lessons that I learned from the trip came from a nun named Noemi. She taught us the necessity to treat immigrants as equals. She told us that this was the mission of Jesus, and that we needed to recognize the dignity in every human being. This is how we can love Jesus. Everyone can offer a small solution to problem of immigration. I would also like to emphasize that we learned that migrants by no means want to come to America to steal jobs or do harm. In fact, they want to better our country and return to Mexico for their families and homeland. The only reason that they come is prevent their families from starving. This is why they cross the desert. They would rather die trying to save their family then sit idly and watch their family perish.

Another important thing that we learned was that the economic disparity in Mexico is the result of NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. Because foreign companies can bring factories into Mexico and produce products tax free, the Mexican government makes no income from taxes. It allows American investors to exploit Mexican markets and prevent Mexico from developing its own stable economy. Additionally, the lack of agricultural subsidies in Mexico and the abundance of them in the U.S. allows American producers to flood Mexican markets that can not compete. Consequently, farmers in Mexico no longer have employment. They are forced to work in maquilas in Mexico or migrate to the United States for jobs.