Clicking on it, I was taken by the photos, video and most importantly, the stories of these people that go through what they have to go through just to get to the U.S..
As a daughter and granddaughter and the ex-wife of immigrants to the United States, many people whose families have been here for generations have NO IDEA what it is like for people to come here. My father came for new opportunities and adventure. My grandfather came because it's where his family lived across the river from Mexico. My ex-husband came because he knew he didn't want to be in his country anymore where it was more difficult for opportunity in his field.
Coming to America - It's not just only for Mexicans, or Central Americans. It also is a dream for people from other continents...such as Europe, Africa and Asians.
Most often times, it is for a dream of better living, education, and work. Simply because they cannot achieve those dreams and goals in their own country.
BORDERLAND
We Took A 2,428-Mile Road Trip Along The Mexico Border: Here's What We Saw
Broken up in to a series of 12 photojournalistic stories, each one tells a compelling piece.
Story 1: Just Getting There, by Steve Inskeep, tells the stories of several people crossing the U.S./Mexico border. One young woman, in particular, is from Ethiopia, named Saraa.
Yes, you read that correctly. She is from Ethiopia.
You're probably thinking, "But she's from an African country...how the H*ll did she end up crossing the Mexico/U.S. border?"
Americans, especially those who do not travel internationally, are unaware that most foreigners need a visa to simply enter the United States, even if it's simply for a visit.
Saraa was unable to obtain a visa from Ethiopia, but somehow, someway, she was able to come up with $15,000 to have someone escort her from Ethiopia, Sudan, Brasil, Venezuela, Colombia, Panamá, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico and finally the United States. That's 12 countries. TWELVE! To top it off, she came with her husband, a younger sister who unfortunately perished along the way, and she is pregnant. She is currently in a safe house in Texas, called "La Posada" and has asked for asylum, since she is afraid of returning to her country.
Other people that are waiting there are from: Albania, Bangladesh, Belize, Brasil, China, Congo, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua, Romania, Rwanda, Somalia and Sri Lanka, just to name a few twenty-two countries.
Story 2: Why The Border Is Where It Is was pretty compelling. It provides you, the reader, a view through historical maps and interactions that show how the current U.S./Mexico border has changed since Spanish colonial times.
I find it ironic of ignorant people that live in the US complain about the presence of "Mexicans" in the United States. It is ironic to see that firstly, Spain owned a lot of the American West. When Mexico gained their independence from Spain, it became part of Mexico. Throughout wars and purchases and annexations, a lot of the land "Out West" became part of the US. People who have been there for generations are American, but culturally they are Mexican, Spanish, Native American, etc. So...who are the invaders (other than the white folks, no matter their back ground)
Fascinating, at least for history buffs like myself.
Story 3: Fence Facts
Did you know that the current U.S./Mexico Border is 1,969 miles long? Nope, I didn't know that either until today. I knew it was pretty long though. Anyone who has common sense and knows how to read a map can tell.
Parts of the border are walled or fenced, which is mostly in highly populated areas. What's even funnier to me is that part of these walls are erected between 1-5 miles north of the border to keep people out of America. Another thing that I find funny is that parts of the fence have gaps so as to let animals migrate seasonally, to let farmers onto their land to cultivate crops, and to allow their livestock to graze.
Sometimes, the fence is designed to stop transportation. In other cases, people. What even baffles me this fence runs past children's play grounds, through the desert and even into the Pacific Ocean, near Tijuana, Mex./San Diego, Cal..
The first fence was erected in 1909. It was designed to keep out certain types of cattle that had bug infestations...bugs...not people.
I'm sorry, but am I missing something here? Aren't our principles founded on immigration? Aren't we a country of immigrants?
In any case...the fence/wall has been erected in some places. There are resident Picassos and Van Gogh's in the area on either side since art has been placed on these walls. It has only been in recent years that presidential administrations have been hell bent on keeping illegal immigrants out.
Do I agree with the wall/fence? NO. Does that mean I believe in illegal immigration? Of course not. My family came here the right way, including my ex-husband. You file the paper work and try it that way. However, I see where families become desperate to come to the U.S. and cannot wait for the paperwork that is necessary to live and work in the U.S.. But I believe in patience and perseverance and prayer.
Story 4: What's is Like? Portraits of Life on the Border.
People who are not familiar with the Frontera/Border Lands of our compadres to the South think that it's nothing but a showdown with Mexicans in a huge truck and guns. I mean, it's all that is heard in the news, so most people assume that people are still living in the times of the Wild Wild West.
WRONG...
People along the border live normal, happy lives. They do normal things as other people in other states and cities do, taking their kids to practice, running around and going shopping, etc. My favorite slide of this story is of a Gringo wearing a full fledged Mexican outfit. He is the port commissioner for Brownsville Port Authority.
There are stories of people and families living on both sides of the border. A woman in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mex. wants her daughters to find an education in the United States and make something of themselves.
A border patrol agent also states that Border Patrol Agents are not all mean people, that they are empathetic to illegal aliens' causes.
An American born woman to Mexican parents in San Diego says that she enjoys the fact that she can switch living back and forth between the two countries. She says it's a privilege. I see how that works for her. I would love to say, "I'm going to Mexico for the day. I'll be back for dinner!" Other people truly enjoy the proximity of living close to the border because it is good for business.
Some Mexican/American couples learn each other's language in order to communicate. After looking at that picture, all I could think of was "Papers!". However, I could be totally wrong. They could have genuinely fallen in love with one another...but she's MUCH younger than her American husband, so it still makes me think she married him for the papers.
Other people lament, though, the problem of living so close to the border. One man says that a middle schooler brought a bunch of pot to school with him because it was smuggled from over the border into the U.S.. Another family complained about the fact that the drug cartels were fighting with each other in Juarez. An American man has part of the border running through his property, but dislikes that the Border Patrol has essentially taken over his land. Pursuits of illegal aliens on his property have enabled Border Patrol to erect watch towers on his land.
Vacant houses in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, that sit pockmarked from bullets fired at other drug cartels. Many of them are identical, but are painted differently. These are the empty shells of family life that once thrived in these neighborhoods. That is, until the drug cartels began their wars of controlling the drug trade out of Mexico.
Juarez is the most dangerous city in Mexico, and one of the most dangerous in the world. It's a pity because I would go over there border from El Paso, on visits to my mom's parents, and wander around with them.
El Paso, over the border and Rio Grande from Juarez, was voted one of the most safest cities in the U.S.. Ironic since it sits merely over the river from the most dangerous city in Mexico...
Story 6: Junior
Junior is a Mexican-born student who attends high school in Anthony, Texas. Junior is an interesting case because he lives with his older sister since his dad was deported only a few months or years before his video was shot. Since his mom was pregnant, she decided to go along with her husband, thus leaving Junior to fend for himself with his older sister.
It was hard watching that video. You could tell that Junior really missed his parents and wanted to be with them. His parents encouraged him to stay and get a better education. He knows this and also wants to file paperwork in order to become legal so that he can stay and bring his parents back.
Story 7: Snack Time
For about $3 and nine ingredients, you can be the proud recipient of a snack called, "Tostilocos", a snack that has migrated north of the Border from Tijuana, Mexico.
Recipe is as follows:
- 1 bag of Salsa Verde Tostitos, cut lengthwise. (These can be found in Tijuana, Mexico)
- Cucumbers & Jicama
- Pickled Pork Rinds
- Fried Peanuts
- Chaca-Chaca (Tamarind Candy)
- Salsa de Chile
- Chamoy (Pickled Fruit) Sauce
- Squeeze of Lime
You are then supposed to enjoy this interesting mess of flavors and textures. I don't do anything spicy, so that won't work for me. I'd be willing to try it without the spicy stuff.
Or things left behind in the desert, would be a better title for this story. Toys, belts, shoelaces, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, combs, brushes and carpet shoes.
Carpet shoes, you ask?
Avoiding detection is key when crossing the border illegally. To prevent detection, many people have made slipper like shoes with carpet on the bottom. This enables one to cross the desert virtually undetected. The illegals carry their own regular shoes with them in a bag and once they coast is clear, they abandon their carpet shoes for regular ones and go on their (hopefully) merry way.
Also, the story talks about the majority of the smugglers are men. Women that are smuggled by the men are often raped. Some of them know the risks and carry contraceptives and prophylactics with them to prevent pregnancies and STD's.
Story 9: Apprehension, by Steve Inskeep.
Getting your hand caught in a cookie jar is a story that most people can confess to. Getting caught by Border Patrol is reserved for the ultra persistent. From home-made ladders to scale the walls to
children as young as toddlers escaping into the U.S.
After months of walking from their respective countries to the border and stepping foot onto American soil, some are captured and deported. Yet, some of those same people are determined to weasel their way into the American dream and continue to persevere.
Story 10: Wanna Buy a Hammock?
Waiting to either get into or leave Mexico via Tijuana is an interesting business, no pun intended. Many people waiting in their cars to get back into the United States are sold a variety of items. From hammocks, to wicker baskets, to pottery, to crucifixes to Aztec wall hangings, wood carvings and cold drinks, you can be sure you'll find it at the border in Tijuana.
I remember my days as a young girl visiting my relatives in El Paso, Texas. We would hop in the car for a day of sightseeing in Juarez, Mexico. Always on our way back into the U.S., we would spend HOURS waiting in line to be processed and all that crap that Border Patrol has to do. Meanwhile, during our hot and arid wait in the car, vendors would come up to us shouting in Spanish, "Quieres un helado?" 'Quieres una botella de agua?!" etc. We often would cross the border and realize, we didn't have anything to eat, drink, cool ourselves off.
Once, my aunt bought a blanket from a vendor. Why she did that, I have no idea. It was hot as Hades that day. Maybe it was meant for a nice Christmas holiday. It does get chilly in the winter in El Paso.
Story 11: Palabras | Words.
A photojournalistic view on English and Spanish vocabulary that may or may not need translation. Tacos, of course, need no translation.
Story 12: By the Numbers
Throughout the time that you go through the whole presentation, it shows you what has happened since beginning the story.
At my time of reading the story, Saturday, April 5th, 2014, this is what was found:
When I started reading the story, only 5 ounces of cocaine had been seized. I'm not sure if that's for the day or just when I started reading the story.
It's amazing to see what comes through our borders everyday.
Conclusion:
Though I am only a 1/4 Mexican, I am proud to say that I am still a small part Mexican. I have lots of family that have lived on both sides of the border...and from other countries as well.
So many people come here for the opportunity. I'm happy to see those that are hardworking and persevere so for the things that they want.
High five to you all...
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