Aperturas Fronteras

So far this year, the remains of 183 people have been recovered in the desert along the Arizona-Sonora border, all of them in efforts to migrate to America. They come here to work, driven by severe destitution, and although the issue is complex, many activists and scholars believe these deaths are a direct result of American policy and the way the Department of Homeland Security has designed its methods of guarding the border.

Immigration, particularly pertaining to our Southern border, is an issue I’ve never been able to read enough about to satisfy my curiosity. I believe a lot of negative attention on immigrants is pure xenophobia — accepted as patriotism in many cases — it divides the country and pits neighbors against one another. While hardly anyone is delusional enough to believe racism was eradicated with Obama’s election, the fear and misguided notions about Central American and Mexican immigrants have become particularly disconcerting as that population has grown.

Many people have taken to using the phrase “New Americans” as an umbrella term for immigrants from all over, both illegal and legal. Although many Central American and Mexican immigrants already consider themselves American, or Norte Americano, I think the term is a positive one. It has an inclusionary connotation, and it implies that we are welcoming and helpful in integrating prospective new citizens. Of course, that’s not the case today, but perhaps positive language is a good place to start.

We set out a few weeks ago from Nashville, Tennessee with admittedly ambiguous objectives. Both of us unemployed — victims of this crummy economy — it seemed like a good time to do something we’d never otherwise have the time or freedom to do.

I can’t say what exactly this blog will be about, but we hope to find and relate stories of the people, the real lives affected by this issue. We have a lot of questions. Why do some people so vehemently oppose immigrants’ inclusion in our society and how can that be addressed? Why do South American citizens (in particular) risk their lives to get here? Are those deaths sometimes unreported? What is the human cost? What can our country do to prevent untimely deaths on our border? What are activists already doing along the border?

In the drive to Tucson, Arizona, we saw much and consumed even more (like good Americans). We passed an ungodly number of Hooter’s and adult XXX superstores, Wal-Mart Superstores, fireworks superstores and super-sized churches. We drank approximately 300 ounces of coffee, a case or two of beer, a few sugar-free Redbulls, gallons of water, numerous fast-food sodas and a few whiskeys. We drove through the city of West, Texas (which is actually in East Texas) and then through the windfarms in West Texas that reminded me, from far off, of the giant white crosses so common in the South. We drove across the mighty Mississippi on the way out of Memphis, biked across the Colorado River in Austin and drove over a handful of dried-up rivers in New Mexico and Arizona. There were buttes, hills, valleys, grey skies, blue skies, cascades of rain that nearly caved in our tent, and most memorably, those spectacular starry skies of City of Rocks, New Mexico. There were dog farts, giant dive-bombing grasshoppers, bee stings… oh and one of our dogs bit the other one, while we’re one the subject of fauna.

A few nights ago, in a hotel in Tucson, before we were able to move into our temporary rental house, we heard the news that President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As is everything political, it was a big controversy. The naysayers asked what he has done to deserve this honor? Well, besides pulling a number of troops out of Iraq and making progress in getting us out of the Guantanamo Bay mess, pundits have said he’s created a language of nonviolence. It no longer feels as though we are thoughtlessly aggressive in the world. While we are still engaged in two wars, we have reason to believe that Obama will try and lead us gracefully out of them, and into a more peaceable mindset as a country. It’s a new generation, and I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say: it’s a new America.

And so, in a sense, immigrants are not the only New Americans. Anyone alive in this era is in some way becoming a New American. We’ve changed our way of thinking, and we have new causes to fight for.

While the Obama administration has postponed dealing with immigration reform in light of the health care and economic crisis, it’s imperative that this peaceful philosophy is extended to our own borders. We must investigate the horrific deaths that occur in border crossing attempts, and stop classifying them as “accidents.” These are slow, agonizing deaths, from dehydration and heat exhaustion, and sometimes violence. While some might say it’s not our responsibility, we believe that it’s only American to address this human rights disaster. After all, those who survive the journey are the people who end up doing much of the grunt work in our labor force. They should not have to risk death and then live fearful shadow lives once they settle here. America must find a way to integrate them into society and to support this valuable work force, for the good of our own economy, if nothing else.

During our project, we will be talking to local human rights organizations, economists, scholars, law enforcement and immigrants themselves. We hope to learn and discover a more open dialogue about this issue. 

Please enjoy and get in touch if you like. All opinions are welcome!

Molly Kincaid, reporter (chromemolly@gmail.com)

Rocky Yosek, photographer (ryosek@gmail.com)