Wednesday, August 09, 2006
I left the desert of Tucson a week and a half ago after delivering a sermon about the mountains and valleys in Jesus' life (and our own lives). I talked about how leaving Tucson was like leaving a "mountaintop" where I felt nourished and supported and free to grow... and in many ways, returning to Davidson isn't like that. I guess you could call it a desert in some ways-- it's not necessarily a place where I've felt like people keep up to date on immigration issues and talk about the things I talked about all summer. Maybe I'm in a bit of a desert myself?
But how could I even begin to compare my experience to the experience of those migrants? I don't want to always come across as pro-migrant, as sometimes they do horrendous things. There are many drug smugglers, thieves, murderers... and I don't feel that opening our borders will "fix" the "problem." But I do think it's crucial that their stories are told. I can't compare my life to their lives, and I don't want to put words in their mouths or try and put a face on them when they aren't that certain way. Yet the stories captivate me still.
Take the following. On August 2, Louie Gilot from The El Paso Times reported that a 13-year-old boy dragged his 46-year-old mother's body across the desert in order to find help. Can you picture a boy dragging his mother's body? What emotions were facing him?
Immigrants died the other day as a smuggler driving their truck was trying to avoid Border Patrol.
Remains were found last week near Sells, Arizona.
These things shouldn't be taken lightly. The heat in Arizona may be tapering off, but the deaths aren't. I suggested two posts ago (look down) some things we can be doing-- even when we're not out there helping. Look up "immigrants + deaths" on google. Some stories are old. Others are new. But just because they're happening doesn't mean it's okay. We must talk about these issues, but more importantly, we must act.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
I had a few people ask me this weekend how it is that they can comment on my blog. It might seem complicated, but it's NOT! It's free and quite easy. You just need to click where it says "0 comments" or "1 comment" or "x comments" underneath where I've posted. If you've never posted on a blog before, you click on "No Blogger account? Sign up here" and make up a username and password. They don't harass you or sign you up for free things...
And I like comments, so feel free to make some!
Friday, July 28, 2006
Alright, folks. This is an important post, because it really does require action. Last summer, two 22-year-old volunteers from No More Deaths (like me) took three migrants who were suffering from extreme thirst and hunger to the hospital to receive medical attention. They were arrested by the Border Patrol, and are being charged with committing two felonies under federal law: transporting illegal aliens and conspiring to do so. On October 3, 2006 they will go to trial in federal court for their "crime" of helping their fellow human beings, and face up to 15 years in prison and $500,000 in fines. Daniel and Shanti (the volunteers) are supported by Amnesty International and No More Deaths as they promote the campaign "Humanitarian Aid is Never A Crime." You can read more about the situation at the No More Deaths website.
Some suggestions for how we can support these volunteers, who were arrested last July and will not go to trial until October (that's 15 months!):
- Write letters to Paul K. Charlton (U.S. Attorney) and Alberto Gonzales (Attorney General) -- see this website: http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=goJTI0OvElH&b=953489&template=x.ascx&action=5229
- Donate to No More Deaths. You can send checks to
St. Marks Presbyterian Church (c/o No More Deaths)
3809 E. Third Street
Tucson, AZ 85716-4699 - Travel to Tucson and participate in a Borderlinks trip to learn more about both sides of the border http://www.borderlinks.org/bl/index.htm.
- Donate rosaries (contact me)
- Pray for these migrants and the volunteers who help them.
Thank you, all. I appreciate all your support and will continue to keep you posted about these issues, even after I leave Tucson on Sunday.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
I think it's notable that the 11-year-old girl who died last week was named Olivia Elizabeth. She was also traveling with her older sister. The following is the full story by Claudine LoMonaco:
An 11-year-old girl died on the
Tohono O'odham Nation after walking in the desert alongside her 17-year-old
sister. The girls were trying to reunite with their parents, who live in
Atlanta, Ga., officials said. Olivia Elizabeth Luna Noguera and her sister
Marisol were from Acapulco, Guerrero, said Alejandro Ramos, spokesman for the
Mexican Consulate in Tucson. He did not know how long ago their parents left
them to find work in Atlanta.Ramos said the sisters crossed into the United
States near Sasabe Friday with 17 other illegal immigrants and a smuggler.
Olivia became ill Saturday in the heat. She was tired, weak and fainted. The
sisters were eventually left behind, Ramos said. Marisol stayed with her sister
until Olivia passed out, then sought help at a house on the Tohono O'odham
Nation. The resident called tribal police, Ramos said. Olivia was transported to
the hospital in Sells, where she died, he said. An autopsy is pending, but
Olivia appears to have died from heat exposure, said Dr. Bruce Parks, Pima
County's medical examiner. At least two other illegal immigrants died in the
Border Patrol's Tucson sector over the weekend. A 32-year-old man died on the
Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range on Sunday, said Gustavo Soto, a sector
spokesman. Agents found another dead man Saturday near Three Points. He
had no identification. More than 120 people have died crossing the border since
Oct. 1, the beginning of the U.S. fiscal year, Border Patrol statistics
show.
just a billboard?
Last week, after picking Jimmy up from the airport, we drove by a new sign sponsored by grassfire.org. It says "STOP the INVASION: Secure Our Borders" in red, white, and blue. The billboard was put up in the predominately Hispanic part of Tucson, so it caused quite the stir. Many people were protesting (from both sides of the immigration debate) and the billboard was vandalized a few times. (It's actually been moved across town now.)
But the reason I bring all this up is that I read an interesting article the day this billboard first appeared (19 July) about how the public (and especially immigrant advocates) should respond. Ernesto Portillo Jr. from the Arizona Daily Star writes that this billboard should not be something we protest. He urges:
To the friendly reader and others like him who want the billboard censored, I say
no. Let it stay. And let it create more awareness and activism among
Tucsonans and Southern Arizonans who are opposed to the single-minded approach
of those who advocate sealing up the border... Steve Elliot, president of
Grassfire.org, said that the billboard will embolden those who insist on more
guns and boots as the only solution to stop illegal immigration. But it
will do more than that. It can and will be used by the billboard's
opponents to garner more support for a comprehensive immigration-reform package
in the US Senate.
I hope that Portillo is right. I've seen the billboard (in each of its two locations) and it does make me angry. But I've also seen things recently (from unexpected sources) that give me hope. On July 10, the Wall Street Journal published "A Conservative Statement for Immigration Reform" signed by noteworthy people such as Bill Kristol, Steve Forbes, Max Boot, and Michael Petrucelli which echoes Portillo's words. The document refers to Ronald Reagan and uses him as an example, stating the following:
But let us remember the counsel of the great conservative standard-bearer,Perhaps today, someone will see that sign and reconsider, viewing an "invasion" not of violence and wrongdoings, but of energy and vitality.
Ronald Reagan, who was in favor of strong borders-- he once remarked that 'a
nation without borders is not really a nation' -- but also constantly reminded
us that America must remain a 'beacon' and a 'shining city on a hill' for
immigrants who continually renew our great country with energy and add to the
nation's economic growth and prosperity. Reagan was right. We need
to do both things -- secure the borders and allow for sensible levels of safe,
open, lawful immigration... There is no reason to fear the newcomers arriving on
our shores doay -- if anything, they will energize what is best about our
country.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
I just received the following e-mail from a fellow Samaritan.
No need to say more.
"I just received a phone call from a Samaritan
who also works at the hospital in Sells. It is difficult to convey the emotional
content of her words. So the facts are this:An 11 year old migrant travelling
with her older sister was found in full cardiac arrestout in the field ---field
resuscitation, EMS CPR and defibrillation and supportive ER care could not
revive her. Her temperature was 106. She was wearing pink sneakers.
Five or six others have been brought into the Sells ER in the last 24 hours
alone--onewas a 19 year old who was also in cardiac arrest but revived and
helicoptered to a Tucson intensive care unit."
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Sometimes they have no water. Just a coca-cola in hand, or a backpack slung over a shoulder. They are mostly men, but I saw a few women among them. Some of the women had long sleeve shirts, but many just had on tank tops. Do you know how bad that 110 degree sun can burn skin?
Yes, I went to Mexico today. The buses come in full of people from Southern Mexico. They bring people to pick-up trucks that take them to holes in the border. They get through. The leaders know what they're doing. But they don't all make it. Some have crossed successfully before. Some have held work permits. Maybe some are like the man who died recently, the man who lost his visa because he went back to visit his dying teenage daughter, then tried to walk back to work alone.
I talked to a 16 year old boy. He reminded me of my cousin, because he was always smiling and telling me jokes. He has come all the way from El Salvador, and he's trying to get to Houston. He left his mother and father behind, and he hopes to find his older brother. It was hard not to start sobbing when this boy, this boy, went with some strangers in a pick-up truck to meet his destiny, whatever it is. I wanted to grab him and tell him to be careful. I wanted to tell him to stop. I wanted to tell him that there was a better life for him somewhere. But where? Where is that better life, and why are these people undeserving of it? Some say this boy is illegal. That he's an alien. That he is not a US citizen. But why is he there, and I am here? Why do I type on a computer as he walks through the Arizona heat? I pray for him. Que vaya con dios. That he goes with God. That someone protects him along the way.
We are pushing these people-- the people I have come to know and love over the past 6 weeks-- to more dangerous areas. They travel through where the drug trade is prevalent, and if they run into the wrong people, they are shot dead. I suppose one could make the argument that we're not doing this ourselves-- after all, this is Mexico, right? But stationing more Border Patrol agents in the safer locations (and by safer I mean the less mountainous, kinder terrain) we push them to the rough crossing spots. The trek is longer, hotter, harder. How can we stop this madness? How can we stop these deaths? How can we stand for liberty and justice for all, when our inaction causes death?
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
i know i'm not in bolivia anymore, but my heart still thinks of it often. and i was amazed and impressed by Jim Shultz' latest post (regarding adoption) on his blog from bolivia. definitely worth reading if you have a minute.
this is a complicated issue, immigration. of course you all know that, but i'm reminded of it recently. my parents were here last weekend (one of the reasons i was so slow to post) and while we were all at church we heard the story of a woman who owns property on the tohono o'odham reservation (the native american reservation south of tucson). she had immigrants break into her house a week or so ago. they took food, but they also trashed her house. she shared with us that it didn't bother her that they took the food, but it was the fact that they were disrespectful that irked her so. i can't completely understand her sentiment, but it's her right to have a safe home. so who do we choose?
the truth is, these people aren't us citizens. but...there was an article yesterday in the daily star about a family where one daughter (who lives in the US with her grandparents) has been granted citizenship and the other hasn't. one of them waited 2 1/2 years to even HEAR from the immigration officers. that's over half of a college education. how much changes for a person in 30 months? how hard would it be to hear, after all that time, that your application was denied?
and what to do with the people who have been here? i found this quotation from Bush when he was in alexandria, virginia:
And finally, we cannot kick people out who have
been here for a while. And so I look forward to working with Congress on a
rational plan as to how to make sure people who have been here, the 11 million
or so people who have been here for a while are treated with respect and
dignity. I'm absolutely opposed to amnesty. Amnesty says you're automatically a
citizen. That would be a mistake to grant amnesty. Amnesty would say to
somebody, all I've got to do is wait it out; all I've got to do is get here
illegally myself and I'll become a citizen. That would be bad policy.
I think all I want to ask President Bush is the following: What is "respect and dignity," and are those principles we live by in all cases, or just some?
