Reflection on El Paso

There is only one thing we can all agree on in regards to the immigration debate. Our immigration system is broken.
A question that pops up is what does an efficient  immigration system look like? It depends how you want out of it. I would say there is no such thing as a moral immigration system. The two extremes are closed off borders and open borders. Both are immoral because both would cause a lot of harm to many people. As our border becomes more and more closed off, we are seeing the harm that comes from it. As of today, four kids who migrated here have died in the custody of the U.S. Government. Not moral by any means. Open borders is immoral because it ignores that there are bad entities out there that would take advantage of such. Civilians would be hurt due to this.
Now I must say that both are extreme positions and it would be dishonest to say those are our only options. There are many different ways to make a good immigration system. I like to think the two approaches listed above are a small minority of thought. I hope so. We need to see immigration as the complex topic it is and we should not expect a perfect result or perfect people.
We also have to acknowledge who is coming and why. Today, people are coming to the U.S. from the Northern Triangle - Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. They come for different reasons ranging from droughts to intense violence. Gang violence plagues the region and is responsible for the gruesome violence that has killed thousands of people. If I lived in such conditions I would leave. Many people come through El Paso. It serves as a flashpoint in the immigration debate. We saw many migrants coming through in search for safety.
But I find that to understand why many people are coming from Central America, we need to take a look in history. Back in the Cold War, the U.S. government was so terrified of communism that we overthrew democratically-elected heads of state and replaced them with dictators who were friendly to the U.S. In Guatemala, this sparked a genocide that killed 200,000 people and left 50,000 missing. We don't know where they are, we just know that they are no longer alive. In El Salvador, we trained death squads at the Schools of the Americas who then used their counter-insurgency training to massacre thousands of people. Look at the Massacre at El Mozote. There's a book that describes what occurred and what role the U.S. government had in it.
This is not to say the U.S. is a terrible place.
I love the United States but I believe that out of love for my country, we have to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. Our government, while it does not have sole responsibility over the outcome, played a role in throwing the Northern Triangle into chaos. And today when refugees from south of the border come asking for help, we put up a wall. The wall we are putting up is not a solution to the problem. As the region goes further into crisis, more and more people will flee up north. It is very dangerous to try and come up north but coyotes lie to many desperate people telling them that the U.S. will treat them well. If we can't counter that narrative south of the border, more people will try to come here and more will die along the way. I would encourage our embassies in the Northern Triangle to do more to discourage people from trying to come up North.
I got a little political up there and you might not like what I said. I have a comments section below here and I would love to hear your thoughts. Be nice.
In regards to what I saw and the conversations I have had, I have come to see the complexity of immigration with my own eyes. I encourage you to remember that the people coming here are human beings made in the image of God. *If you're an atheist, well, they're still human beings like you.*
How we are treating our friends south of the border is not how we treat friends. There is a lot of potential in Latin America but bad politics is holding it back. Our government should help improve safety and well-being in these countries. Remember, we had a part to play in destabilizing the region. This may be a difficult thing to grasp but to make amends, we should try to help. I have spoken to many Guatemalans and migrants. No one I talked to wanted to leave their homes. The country they left was the home of their ancestors. But who am I to tell someone to stay if they will get murdered? I want Guatemalans to stay in Guatemala and help make it a better place and because brain drain is a real problem. But I won't make someone stay if it will cost them their lives. If we can help make these countries better, less people will leave. We won't save the day with walls, fear, racism, or any of the like. It's a complex problem that requires a complex solution - maybe solutions.
I hope some day we can see the humanity in each other and work to make the world a better place.
May we hold the memories of the four kids who passed away in our custody be of blessed memory and may we solve our problems so that no more kids will pass away.

Day Five - ICE and Ethics

This was quite the religious day. We started the day meeting with the rabbi and concluded with Catholic mass.

We met with Rabbi Ben Zeidman of Temple Mt. Sinai. He gave us a tour of his beautiful synagogue and talked a little bit about the history of the congregation and Judaism's stance on immigration. One thing I got out of the discussion was that whatever stance we come up with on the immigration topic is up for much fair debate but what cannot be up for debate is how we treat the stranger. It is said many times in the Hebrew Bible. I get that we have separation of church & state but many people get their values from the Bible. 

We need to keep the stranger in our midst safe. We can debate their status afterwards. 

We then visited Father Rafael's church. It was a beautiful church and it was great getting to see inside what it looked like. He was such a nice guy and I am so thankful to have met him. Not many people are even half as nice as he is. 

After lunch we went to witness a mass at an ICE detention facility. What struck me first about the facility was that I did not see a single ICE agent in the facility. Some private corporation was contracted out to provide guard services. There may be some problems with that but who's to say? 

There were two masses conducted. One for the men and one for the women. The one for the men went fine. I got to talk to some of the people. They were nice upon impression.
The mass for men went on fine and I shook many hands on the way out. One can't easily generalize from up close.
Next came the women. Father Rafael asked how many of them were mothers. I don't have an exact percentage but I would say about 90% of the women raised their hands. They were not with their kids so families were obviously separated. I really can't imagine what it would be like to have your kids taken away from you by the government and then lost in the process. I get shivers just thinking about it.
Towards the end of mass, I noticed the woman behind me started crying. At first I thought it was because she was moved by the spirit but then she grabbed her head and said it hurt really badly. I recall the two women next to her had to hold her up. I stood up and flagged down the guards. It felt like they took forever but I must say looking back, that was probably just time moving super slow for me in my head in the heat of the moment. I will say that the medics took a while to get her and how they put her on the gurney was a little strange. It seemed like they just tossed her on. I then looked around and saw that many people were crying. I really could just tear up but they would not fall. Don't judge my sadness based on tears. I was really hoping she would be okay. The mass concluded and we then left the facility. That was the only quiet ride on this entire trip.
We later learned she had a severe anxiety attack. I do not know why but I can't help but believe that it was due to her being separated from her kid(s) and Mother's Day was just a few days away.
I hope she and everyone get reunified with their families.
How strange that his be what we experience on our last day in El Paso.
But that is what makes it real. We can debate policy all day long but we have to understand that these decisions affect human lives. How we can do the least harm is another debate.
I am thankful to have gone with the group that I went with. I must say when we concluded our trip and arrived at Charlotte-Douglas airport and people started parting ways, it hit me that this was my last Queens adventure. I teared up a bit.
If you get the chance, go to the border and learn for yourself. 

Day Four - Border Enforcement and Hike

We started this day out with a meeting with two representatives from the Border Patrol. It is certainly a fact that Border Patrol has saved lives but there is also a case to made that some of their staff have done some bad things. The feeling of the group was that we mostly were not a fan of the institution. In some ways, that is difficult because we went in having an opinion already. Nevertheless, I went in with an open mind but also understanding that these guys are required to represent the organization through a positive light. 

We met them in a neutral location. I know, it is weird but it's what we did. 

They talked about some of the good stuff they have done and the difficult things they had seen. 

There were some weird moments of the conversation that I did not like. I did not like that one of them said they were puppets. Or that one of them lied about the effectiveness of USAID. 

Some people were troubled by how someone might sacrifice their morals to do such work. That's a rather big question to ask. I will say, as a student we explore a lot of theories and expect people to do things rationally and somewhat perfect. 

That is not reality. 

I don't know what it is like to work in Border Patrol or what I would do if I worked for such an organization. I don't know what inspires people to work for Border Patrol. I hope it is to do good work for our country but I can't say that for everyone. I only talked to two agents. 

We must recall that institutions are made up of people - imperfect people. We are all imperfect. 

At what point our morals may bend under pressure, I do not know. 

Perhaps we should teach ethics in school. We should teach ethics in school. It's a great subject. 

I'll be honest, I would like to work in the government someday. I feel like America has treated me well for the most part and now it is my turn to give back and try to make this country better. Just a little bit. Perhaps this is what motivates people to work for the U.S. government. 

I think we need to work to hold these institutions accountable. What the agents said is that they respond to policies and they follow the rules set for them. The just "following order" argument is somewhat problematic but just following orders doesn't make you a Nazi. But you should never blindly follow orders. Policies need to be challenged by protests in the streets and votes in the ballot box. We simply cannot turn a blind eye as to what they do. Accountability and transparency are key. 

On a lighter note, we then went on a nice hike to Mt. Cristo Rey. Because there are 14 crosses along the way, my Christian friends stopped 14 times along the way. All respect to their faith - I was happy we could stop along the way so I did not appear as out of shape as I really am. It was a beautiful hike and it was my first time in New Mexico. It's a beautiful state. It was interesting observing people reflect on their faith whilst on this hike. I also thankfully had just enough water. 

We then had a pleasant conversation with Father Mike Gallagher who is quite a well-traveled man. We talked a little bit about South Africa because we both had been there. He talked about the refugee populations that he encountered and some facts about migration. Majority travel for economics and they can afford to. It makes the discussion of migration more complex because it is such a complex topic. It furthers a point I have made before - immigration is complicated and we should stop trying to simplify it. 

Day Three - Holocaust of the Past and Fear for the Future

"Recordar un nombre es rescatar una vida perdida en el olvido."
"To remember a name is to rescue a lost life from oblivion."

I am thankful to the fact that I am with a group willing to learn and explore difficult topics. The El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center was made by the Jewish community in El Paso to show the community why it is important to learn about the Holocaust. Back in January, I researched what Jewish institutions exist in El Paso and I came across the museum. I brought up the idea to the trip's advisers and spoke with the museum and the tour was organized. We arrived around 9:00a.m. and met our tour guide, Rick. He is such a knowledgeable man and he shared so much with us. I am certainly no expert on the Holocaust but I have studied it for a long time and I know a good bit about it. 
The El Paso Holocaust Museum is a marvelous institution and I must be honest, it was much better than I originally expected. There were a few significant parts of the exhibit that sparked interest from me. There was one part of the museum where there were artifacts from Majdanek extermination camp. The one artifact that specifically stuck out to me were the two rusty shower heads. 

How many people screamed and perished under those shower heads? 

Another part of the museum that stuck out to me was the propaganda. They certainly were offensive but they also reflect how easy it is for false information to spread and influence discourse. We are seeing this issue today. It reveals how important a free and true press is and how we have to think critically about the news we get. Beware of the lies that get repeated again and again.
I hope that my friends who traveled with me learned something special from this museum.
Our tour guide, Rick, did not hold back on the stories he shared. He went into great detail about the torture that Jewish prisoners went through. At the end of the tour, I asked him why he went into such great detail. He told me it is how he brings some justice to the victims by making them more than just a number. By doing this, people remember what we are capable of.

Afterwards, we learned a little bit about Catholic Social Teaching through the director of the HOPE Institute, Dylan Corbett. He talked about exploring a religious approach to dealing with the issue of what is happening on the border. I think it helps to gather all these different perspectives for the analysis of what is occurring on the border. What I believe is that we need to reform what we are doing. I think it does not reflect our values. If our values have changed, then we should carve a nice poem off of the Statue of Liberty. It was a nice chat with Dylan and it is interesting to learn from liberal Catholics. Sometimes it seems they are often sidelined in the conversation. We then met with Christina Coronado who was representing Juntas Vamos. She talked about health issues and community involvement in Juarez. A lot of negative things are happening in Juarez - that is a fact. The hopeful optimist in me had to ask, "What is the good news coming out of Juarez?" Thankfully there is some good news coming out of the city and perception seems to be that it is slowly improving.
We concluded with a conversation with Sigrid Gonzalez. She studied accounting but almost never did accounting. She ended up working in politics by accident and I am very envious of that. It was amazing hearing how her experiences were used to help with immigration policy under the Obama Administration. She did not give us too much insight as per what it was like to work under Obama but it was inspirational hearing how she got quite far up because people needed her skills. What a cool way to serve our country. I guess I just have to do the work and "show up."

Day Two- Volunteering in a Migrant Shelter

For our second full day in El Paso, we mostly volunteered at a shelter for migrants. Before that, we went to Cafe Mayapan to learn about some local issues in El Paso. We talked a bit about NAFTA and TPP. What’s difficult with these agreements is that, in aggregate, it has made us better off but if you are one of those who get left behind, you don’t care about the aggregate. It makes one think about what role the government should (or shouldn’t) take in regards to globalization. I won’t go to into this topic but it is certainly a big topic and we should think about the consequences of trade agreements on local communities
The big thing of the day was volunteering in the migrant shelter. I want to make clear that this shelter cooperates with Border Patrol and ICE so that people who have applied for asylum won’t be out on the streets at night. My first task was to clean the showers. Not a great task but it had to be done. With some good help, it took me about an hour. I was just happy to help.
I then helped hand out wash towels for migrants to shower. Next to me was a bunch of little kids playing with toys. They were having so much fun. They were playing soccer and with toys and they were running around a lot. We then had dinner which was beef and rice from Salvation Army. Was not bad. There were moments where people shared their stories with me. Many Guatemalans left because of a serious drought that is killing the ecosystem. Many others left because of gang violence. I must say, if I were in their shoes, I would apply for asylum as well. One woman said if she had stayed in Guatemala, her daughter would be kidnapped and sold by the gangs. I would also leave if I were put in such a situation.
I did not realize how quickly eight hours would go by. The hard work hardly felt like work. There was one moment towards the end where a tiny child kicked a beach ball towards me. He wanted to kick it around with me. I figured it was time for a break anyways. This little child was so funny. Every time I kicked the ball high into the air, he would raise his arms up and have the biggest smile on his face. That was a special moment for me because in all that was happening in the shelter and in all this child may have experienced, he still had the biggest smile. on his face. It was almost as if all the noise of the outside world had been shut out because of this one beach ball. But perhaps it was more than just the beach ball. Perhaps it is because he came to America and an American played a game with him. That in spite of all the political noise, we can see the humanity in each other and play a fun little game. For me, this could have been some form of a "God moment." I truly felt special with the work that I did this day.

Day One - Fence or Wall?

The first thing we went to go see in El Paso after a lovely breakfast is the fence. Or is it a wall? Does the distinction matter?
You can see from the picture how far it spreads. This picture was taken about a step into New Mexico. The fence to me, is very strange. Before today, I’ve only seen borders as lines on map. Today, I saw some of the people on the other side of the fence. Some parents, some kids, some dogs. I wonder what it is like to grow up on one side of the fence only being able to see the other side but do no more than reach your hand through. Are we really supposed to be afraid. Is fear what built the fence?

Borders are a reality and they serve an important purpose. As I am currently writing this, I am sitting on a rooftop staring into Ciudad Juarez. I will not be setting foot into Juarez (this time) but I can see it. Two cities that are split by a line in the sand with a fence put on top. To be honest, from where I currently sit, it is hard to tell where El Paso and Juarez split.
I’ve spoken to some people today who have grown up and lived many years in El Paso. I asked if El Paso was safe before the fence. I got a very quick “yes!” She credits El Paso’s safety to the top-notch enforcement agencies primarily the El Paso Police Department. Perhaps it isn’t fences or walls that make us safe - it’s what we do for ourselves that make us safe.
The fence in New Mexico.
Looking into Mexico.

After our visit to the Border, we went to visit the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). We walked around a little bit and then went to their Centennial Museum. There, they had an exhibit on the ICE detention facilities that were set up in 2018. It primarily focused on the centers that had children. There was a comparison in there made between the camps set up in the USA to lock up Mexican migrants in the early 1900's, Thereisenstadt which was a concentration camp in what was then Czechoslovakia (today the camp is in the Czech Republic), and the Japanese internment camps during the Second World War.
The pictures of the camps that were set up in 2018 looked like something from the past. Seeing the exhibit recreated the emotions I felt last year when I first learned we were separating families. That was a feeling of great shame. I have high expectations of the United States and that moment, my country let me down. But, I was encouraged by the level of outcry in which many people on the left and right spoke out against the Zero Tolerance Policy. At the time, I was in Cape Town and I felt powerless. Now, being in El Paso, I feel like I have a voice in the immigration debate and hopefully will never allow such an injustice to occur again. We are better than that.
I am left today challenging the concept of border protection. There is a need to protect and enforce our borders but I believe that going overboard can be problematic. While Mexico and Canada certainly have their issues (keep your snow up there Canada!) we are not at war with them. They are our neighbors. We should cooperate with them as such. Mexico needs to get ahold of their cartel problem and Canada, well you know what you need to do.
Perhaps we as neighbors, have an incentive to help Mexico overcome its corruption problem and defeat the cartels. Easier said than done, but I think this is something we should talk more about. Let's talk about what pushes people here and deal with the source of the problem.

El Paso - Flashpoint in the Debate

I have been fortunate enough to receive a college education that took me to amazing places and taught me complex and fascinating subjects. I studied U.S.-Latin American Relations, I visited Guatemala, I studied U.S. immigration policy, interned for an NGO in Cape Town assisting refugees, and more. Immigration is a part of my life. Both my parents are immigrants and ancestors on both sides of my family have been displaced, expelled, and some even killed. This was purely because of their religion. This is why I have family in Israel, South Africa, Brazil, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, etc. I am fortunate enough that I had never experienced such turmoil and to have grown up in the United States. I think this array of experiences and family history grants me a say in the debate. So, it’s now finally time for me to visit the U.S.-Mexico border.
In a way, I want to offend both Democrats and Republicans. I want to offend them because the immigration debate has grown to be very toxic. Immigration is a complicated topic being viewed through simplistic means.
If you’ve made it this far and haven’t wandered away from my blog post, I hope you will join me on this journey. In El Paso, I will be visiting different people and organizations that operate on the border. I hope that we both learn from this journey and that we seek to better our discussion on immigration policy. I cannot promise you I won’t get political. That simply is not possible. What I will do is present to you the information I’ve received and try my best to reflect what I have witnessed. There may be parts that Republicans would agree with and parts that Democrats will agree with. I honestly can’t tell you what this will lead to. You also have no obligation to like what I say and while I am open to constructive criticism, my experiences will be reflected here and it’s possible I won’t take your criticism. I don’t want you to fully agree with me. What I want is you take what I have seen and learned and use it to challenge your thoughts and biases you may have in relation to the border. Please leave comments and stay tuned to what I will post. I hope we both grow from this experience and I hope we may some day have an immigration system that works. For now, let’s go see the border.