To the questions: "What?" "Where?" and "Why?"

I’ve received my volunteer position description for the Nogales project! (Por fin!) Training is tomorrow in Tucson, then I’ll be in Nogales for about a week, then in the desert aid clinics near Tucson, then back to Nogales.

The volunteer description is:

“Currently, No More Deaths in Nogales works in the space of a variety of partners who operate on a daily basis in Sonora, Mexico. We offer free telephone calls to family members in the U.S. or Mexico/Central America. Sometimes we have volunteers who are available to provide basic first aid to migrants in need. We document peoples' stories and also abuses of people in immigration custody. We sometimes volunteer at the main migrant shelter or help with operations at the soup kitchen for deported migrants. We also help people recover their personal property that has been confiscated by Border Patrol and not returned to them upon release.

One project that we hope you all will be able to participate in is to document stories of family separation due to migration experiences as well as deportation.”

I am absolutely thrilled! I’m concerned that my Spanish isn’t sufficient to really interview and record people’s stories in good detail, but I can hardly wait to speak with people about their experiences, their families, the pressures they face.

Since 1994, between 3,000 – 5,000 people have died along the us/mex border while attempting to cross into the US, (according to U.S. Dept of Homleand Security BSI, Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Relations, and other records).

In 1994, the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between USA, Canada, and Mexico went into effect and border walls were developed near popular and populated migration points (El Paso, San Diego, and Nogales), pushing migration into rural desert areas. Many people crossing the desert have few resources (food, water, money, directions). They face extreme heat, exhaustion, heatstroke, blisters, sunburns, as well as physical violence.

For me, working with NMD is a natural progression after studying in desert country, a wonderful educational and emotional opportunity, and a personal obligation as a human being who lives near the border and has some applicable skills and the inclination to provide aid. As an American citizen, I can vote for immigrant labor rights and immigration reform, provide support along the US-Mex border without fear of discrimination or deportation, and be a voice and a pair of working hands for those who don’t have the proper papers to speak up for themselves.

I realize I’m naïve about the Arizona – Mexico border. My personal experience is very distanced from immigration issues, and I’m bound to make many blunders in an effort to understand the politics and social issues in the region and provide support. But jumping into the thick of things, meeting with people involved in and affected by the border, seems like the quickest and most earnest way to learn and help.

For a good set of articles and timelines on the border, humanitarian aid, NAFTA, US-Mexico relations, etc., the No More Deaths website has a great set of readings: go to the “Documents” section, go to the “Volunteer Documents” folder, and select the “No More Deaths Reader” PDF.

Tonight, the thunderclouds are rolling in from the SE, and lightning is kissing the edges of the valley. Monsoon season is coming! I can hardly wait for the rain rain rain.

Enough rambling for tonight.
With zest, hasta pronto,

madelyn