Walls




The steel wall:  The thirty foot high wall being built in the wilderness costs upwards of $20 million per mile. Here, just east of Douglas, they are busily constructing an additional 21 miles. For what? To cause more injuries and deaths for those migrants who have already been pushed into the desert by the existing walls in the border cities (aka prevention through deterrence)? It won’t stop people from coming. They can – and do - still climb up and over over it. And high tech militarization such as cameras on towers, motion detectors on the ground, and drones in the air are already ubiquitous, as are the many border patrol agents in their green and white SUVs. The wall just seems to be an enormous and costly PR stunt for Mr. Trump. And, of course, a very profitable boondoggle for the defense contractors.

The emotional wall: Yesterday, we just happened to be at the tent by the wall when a Customs agent came over to bring another of our families across to the U.S. It was the indigenous family from Oaxaca who speak neither English nor Spanish. The agent was visibly irritated that he couldn’t communicate well with them and talked about them to another agent as if they not even there, were not even people. He wore a sneer on his face and had a stance and attitude that conveyed such contempt. At one point he looked over his shoulder to his fellow agent and muttered in surprise, “Hey, this one is an American citizen,” (which was also news to us – one of the kids was apparently born in the US). Not every agent we’ve encountered displays this kind of dehumanizing approach, but the power differential and military nature of the border seem to encourage treating migrants like they are beneath dignity. That’s the sign of a sick soul. And a sick society.

Hitting the wall: People get sick on this arduous journey. Once here in Agua Prieta, they may spend time in the CAME shelter, subject to all kinds of contagious stuff there. Then they stay for a couple of days in the tent by the wall, enduring the cold nights here. Today, we took a young mom with her 2-year old from the tent to a nearby clinic because the little girl was running a fever. It turns out she had a contagious throat infection. The doctor said she shouldn’t be out in the cold and that it will take six days of taking an antibiotic for her to be well. So now mom and dad, who are next in line to cross over to the US, have a decision to make. Do they give up their place in line and try to find a safe place in Agua Prieta where they can quarantine and take care of their child (the support team at CAME is working with them to provide a housing option), or do they stay in the tent and hope to cross soon, also hoping that conditions in the custody of the Customs agents will be okay for their child? It’s a tough decision either way.

The longer we are here, the more I am struck by the courage, strength, and resilience of the migrants who have so many walls to pass through as they seek a better life.

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