Despite the hiccups in the morning, we had an overall informative day. We started off with making our way over to the wall. Honestly the wall wasn’t that impress, but what we saw behind was. It was incredible how impoverished Juarez was. There was, houses crumbling, piles of trash everywhere and the roads weren’t even paved. It really opened our eyes to see how lucky we are to live in such a rich and safe country. But it also makes you guilty because so many people are really struggling and have to look across a river and see the prosperity of another country, another place they cannot go. Today was a very powerful day, between visiting the wall, an immigration attorney and the Walmart memorial. At the memorial we talked to a man whose 15-year-old son was targeted and killed in the attack. You could hear the pain in his voice when he spoke about the event. This was a very moving experience for some of us. Before, we went to the wall, from there we could see people walking in the city, Juárez, on the other side. This showed us how we (Americans) are living our life like there is nothing on the other side. But when you truly look at it you realize that on one side there is the world that we know, of fast highways and nice cars. On the other, it is a whole other world, filled with crumbling houses, run down cars, and millions of displaced people.
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This morning, we woke up around 8:00, once again, and after breakfast we started our morning circle. We drove to Las Cruces Federal Court House and proceeded to observe and witness misdemeanor trials in addition to several felony cases. Some individuals presenting their case were as young as 18. One case that stood out to most all of us, was an individual wearing street clothes, amongst the others in prison suits. He pleaded guilty to illegally driving people across the U.S.-Mexico border. The gentleman had grown up in the U.S., his family is here, yet he is not a citizen of the United States. The judge decided to let him go with a 10,000-dollar bond, co-signed by his wife, because there was no recognition of a “threat to the community” by him staying in the states. Other than this unique case, there was a pattern amongst the other cases. Six people would stand, they would plead guilty, and then they would be removed from the United States. Viewing these cases was an emotional experience for us and led most all of us to reflect on our own lives and the privileges we have. Following this, we had an amazing lunch at the Vintage Mercado right across the street. Many of us noticed the stark contrast from the court room environment to the comfortable café atmosphere. After lunch, we came back to the house. We partook in an activity where we discussed with a partner, our own stories and what our “purpose is”. With snow falling when we least expected it, we then headed to La Casa Camino Real, a unique bookstore and community center. Here, we met Denise Chávez who is a famous author. We explored her beautiful bookstore while enjoying some authentic Mexican snacks and coffee. Denise asked us about our backgrounds and shared her belief in each person’s individual history. We then met Briana, a local sixteen-year-old who got to share her story with us. We were all deeply touched and inspired by her story as it was the first time we heard from someone around our age. Today was a truly powerful and emotional day for all of us.
This morning, we woke up at 8:00 again and had breakfast, followed by a morning circle. We heard a terrible joke from Jay (“What did one blade of grass say to another? I guess we will have to make dew.”) We then took the van to one of the Asylum Relief Centers. We helped sort supplies like clothes, blankets, towels, slightly expired food, etc. We went on a tour of the center and saw where they offered travel and medical assistance, as well as showers and beds to immigrants who were waiting for their asylum cases. It was really shocking to see and hear about the path that so many people took through that place. 17,000 people passed through in the span of 7 months. After that, we returned to the house we’ve been staying at and talked to Sylvia, Eric, Elizabeth, Yaha, and Stephani about their experiences with the Border Servant Corps. Lunch was next, then a trip through the pecan fields while Sylvia provided a history of Stahman Farms, the biggest pecan producers in New Mexico. After that we were able to go around old Mesilla and visit some of the small shops. Several of us bought souvenirs, and sweet treats. After, this delightful day, we headed home once again. Once we arrived, we talked to John William (PHD candidate) and heard a very brief history about the borders between Mexico and the United States. Our last speaker was named Juliel and he shared his experience with the DACA program and told the group all about how it works. Overall a fantastic and interesting day, filled with information and adventure.
Last night after arriving in El Paso, we met our leader, Dr. Natasha, from the World Leadership School, and drove to Las Cruces, New Mexico, an hour away. This morning, we woke up around 8:00 and had a quick breakfast. Shortly after, we met Sylvia from the Border Servant Corps who described the crisis at the border and immigration. She shared her experience growing up in El Paso and the neighboring city, Juarez, across the border. This was intriguing as we got to look into some specifics of a subject most of us only have a limited understanding of. Later, we had the opportunity to meet Carmen, an immigrant from Mexico, who taught us how to make “Gorditas.” Although some of the “Gorditas” we made were poorly crafted, they tasted incredible. She told us her incredibly powerful immigration story after lunch, bringing many of us close to tears. We lightened the mood in the late afternoon by taking a trip to White Sands National Monument, getting to play and sled in the sand dunes.
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