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Phoenix AZ, part I

Phoenix, AZ

Both Jenny and I had been to Phoenix before but were amazed (and not in a good way) with the climate of fear, intimidation, and racial profiling that has become the norm.

Our first stop of our two day stay in Phoenix was to the Macehualli Day Labor Worker Center. The name Macehualli means, “the one who sacrifices for others”.The center is approved by the city of Phoenix and has been created in cooperation with local businesses, the neighborhood, law enforcement and the day laborers.

The amount of time the workers at the center have lived in the U.S. ranged from as recent as one week to over twenty years. Many had been deported before and came back to find work. Supporting their children is the priority. They are willing to risk jail time to support their families and find work. This situation can be found around the country but what makes this situation unique is the Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arpiao.

The second morning that we stopped at the worker center they told us that there had been five police cars near the entrance to the worker center, which is literally a parking lot with some established shade tents. Not only does this intimidate the workers who are already fearful that they could at anytime be picked up, regardless of their actually status, but this also keeps potential employers away.

Many of the workers recounted to us that the work has been slow. They surmised that it was because of the economic slow down and that many of the employers are also intimidated by the tactics that are being used by Arpaio and his police force.

Another level of intimidation is the vigilante, white supremacist, minute men folks who are continually camped out in front of the workers center. The one women that we encountered was video taping all traffic in and out of the center, had a gun holstered to her belt.

The workers asked us to not limit our work to immigrant rights, but to work on human rights for all. One worker suggested going to the United Nations with some of the human rights violations that are happening in Arizona and across the county to immigrants.

We later visited with Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ) at their new worker rights center. They are being confronted with many families that are suffering from a loss of wages. Workers come in to the center for help getting back wages from employers who refuse to pay for work these people did, write checks that bounce or use scare tactics like threatening to call ICE. At IWJ we met with Rev. Trina Zelle who works with many of the workers that come in. Many are fearful but also feel betrayed and used. They trusted their employer and did good work for them. It is hard to understand how anyone could use people for slave purposes. Trina also highlighted the importance of continuing to raise up the all immigrants and workers as human beings who deserve to live with dignity.

(written by Stephanie)

Reflecting on the Journey, Part I

As we near closer to the closing of our journey to the Borderlands and AZ we are poised to look back at the people and experiences we have encountered along the way. When looking back over the last two weeks a highlight for me was our worship with Southside Presbyterian in Tucson, AZ. After all the hours in the car, being tired, and anxious for the journey barely underway, the spirit we found there and a commissioning of sorts for the experiences and action that lied ahead of us. Below is a prayer from that service.

CALL TO FAITHFULNESS – from Southside Church, Tucson, AZ

Let us declare together the way of peace, the way of non-violent resistance and the way of self-sacrificing love.

Guide our feet in the way of peace.

We will no conform to the pattern of this world.

Let us be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

With the help of God's Grace.

Let us resist evil where ever we find it.

With the waging of war… We will not comply.

With the legalization of murder… We will not comply.

With the laughter of innocents… We will not comply

With the laws that betray human life… We will not comply.

With the destruction of community… We will not comply.

With the pointing finger and malicious talk… We will not comply.

With the idea that happiness can be purchased… We will not comply.

With the ravaging of the earth… We will not comply

With powers and principalities that oppress… We will not comply.

With the raping of women… We will not comply.

With governments that kill… We will not comply.

With the theology of empire… We will not comply.

With the business of militarism… We will not comply.

With the hoarding of riches… We will not comply.

With the politics of fear… We will not comply.

Today we pledge our ultimate allegiance to the Kingdom of God… We pledge allegiance.

To the gospel of enemy-love… We pledge allegiance.

To the king who loved his enemies so much he died for them…We pledge allegiance.

To the least among us… We pledge allegiance.

To the homeless rabbi who had no place to lay his head… We pledge allegiance.

To the cross rather than the sword… We pledge allegiance.

To the one who rules with a servant's towel rather than an iron fist… We pledge allegiance.

To the revolution that sets both oppressed and oppressors free… We pledge allegiance.

To a peace that is not like Rome's… We pledge allegiance.

To a peace born not of violence but of love… We pledge allegiance.

Let us share a sign of God's peace with one another. Peace be with you… And also with you.

Crossing the Border

Crossing the Border

We drove south towards the US/Mexico border, to see for ourselves the human creation of this physical divide, cutting across land, animal habitat, communities, families and so much more.

Our first stop before crossing the border was Bisbee, AZ, a small town just 10 miles from the Mexico border. We met with Cecile Lumer, a member of Citizens for Border Solutions, who accompanied us to Naco, Sonora, Mexico to visit the Migrant Aid Center that she helps organize.

As we approached the border we could see the long stretch of metal fencing that cut across the land for miles. We crossed into Mexico and found a small building that said "Ofrecemos ayuda, informacion y comida completamente gratis." (We offer help, information and food completely free) This Migrant Aid Center just opened in January of 2008 and has been there to help migrants who are deported back to Mexico and are dropped across the border, left demoralized and without money or an orientation of where they even are.

The Migrant Aid Center has served 6,789 people since it opened. Along with offering material aid they record information about the experience of being in detention. Cecile reported that for the month of August some migrants were held in detention for up to 96 hours. Most of the time they migrants who are detained and are awaiting deportation do not get adequate food or water while in custody and some have been reported to have received nothing. The Aid Center has helped document abuses that helped support the No More Deaths report on human rights abuses on the Arizona/Sonora border mentioned in previous blog postings.

Cecile shared with us that the numbers of people deported has dramatically dropped in the last months due to the Repatriation program of the Department of Homeland Security.

This program offers migrants the opportunity to be deported to Mexico City instead of simply being dropped across the border. The idea being that if people are flown closer to their home it would be a deterrent for people to try and cross again. But, there are cases of people coming through Naco who have been flown back up to three times and still continue to try and cross in hopes of fulfilling their dream of finding work to support their family. This program is scheduled to conclude at the end of the Border Patrol fiscal year sometime in September. As Cecile said, Border Patrol has all this money they need to figure out how to spend, otherwise they won't get as much next year.

The ICE Detention and Removal Operation's Air Transportation Unit is responsible for providing oversight
and coordination of passengers from Tucson International Airport. Under the initiative, Mexican nationals apprehended in Arizona are processed at centers in Nogales and Yuma, Arizona, where they are interviewed by Mexican and U.S. officials for possible inclusion in the Interior Repatriation Program. Those who volunteer to participate in the program are then flown to Mexico City and provided bus transportation to their places of origin in the interior of Mexico. (From ICE Press Release in 2007)

Our next stop was East to Douglas, AZ, a town that borders Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. We crossed into Agua Prieta to find the Agua Prieta Migrant Resource Center. Similar to the Naco Center, they offer food, water, clothing, and information about shelters and bus stations in the town.

The volunteer working at the center shared with us that they receive an average of 3 migrants every 4 hours. But there are days when they don't receive any migrants for six hours and others when they receive many more; last Thursday they received 73 people between 7am and 12pm. She shared with us that they have also seen a dramatic decrease in migrants being deported directly across to Agua Prieta because people are being flown in to Mexico City.

As we made our way back across the border into the U.S. and began our drive back north; watching as the massive wall got smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror as we drove away. We were back on the land that so many risked their lives to journey to, a land that offers so many hopes and dreams to so many. Yet, a land that does not treat them as human beings and creates fear and terror in their communities once they are here.

Bringing the Border to Washington, DC Part II

Bringing the Border to Washington, DC Part II

A delegation of volunteers from No More Deaths, a humanitarian aid group based in Tucson, Arizona, will participate in a Congressional briefing in Washington, D.C., on September 17, 1:00 PM.

Their new report, "Human Rights Abuses of Migrants in Short-Term Custody on the Arizona/Sonora Border," will be released at that time. The briefing is hosted by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ). The report will be shared with human rights groups in a briefing hosted by Amnesty International on September 18.

Please encourage your members of Congress to attend one of these briefings, send them a copy of the executive summary which can be found on the NMD's website at http://www.nomoredeaths.org/ Below is video from the Press Conference last week.

The two video clips below contain an overview of the report given by long time NMD's volunteer Maryada Vallet.

Reflections from No More Deaths Camp

Reflections from Camp

We arrived in the No More Deaths (NMD) Arivaca Camp late on Sunday evening (September 7th). We got acquainted with the other volunteers and our new home amongst the tent city in the Arizona desert. I was unsure what to expect for the week ahead, what and who would we encounter? I would soon find out.

Late in the afternoon; I was hot and sweaty after only my second day in the hot Arizona desert when a group who had gone out of patrol returned to camp and they had come across a 16 year old boy from Michoacan, Mexico - Julio. He had left Mexico with his uncle and a group of migrants and walked for two days before they were separated
when Border Patrol chased them in the night. Julio then continued walking through the hot and rough terrain for three days by himself.

Julio hid in a river through the night, careful to not to get caught. NMD volunteers found him weak, tired, and dehydrated. The NMD medics checked his condition and he was in fairly good condition given what he had been through. His feet were blistered and damaged from sitting
in cold water through the night and we gave him liquids to begin to drinking again slowly.It's hard to imagine water in the desert, but its monsoon weather, and the rain falls in buckets and the temperature can drop very quickly. Hypothermia is not uncommon.

I was asked to come over to him and help with translation. The rest of the camp went out on patrol to leave food and water and look for injured migrants on the trails and I stayed behind with Julio. I gave him a changed of clean clothes and some water and he fell asleep in the shade. He fell into a deep sleep; I could tell that he felt that he had reached a safe place. He awoke and got some dinner and then shared with me his story.

Julio said that his mother and sister didn't want him to make the journey north because he was too young and in their words, "he would cry all along the way". But Julio said that he did not cry, not even for the days he was wandering the desert alone. I could see the wisdom in his eyes, the hope of reaching his destination and getting the opportunity to work and help the rest of his family. He told me that he prayed every day for his own survival.

Julio knew not to drink from the streams or cattle tanks because he knew a friend who had died from drinking the contaminated water. So he resisted the temptation to quench his thirst with the green murky water where he hid. He was only 16 years old, yet had led a life that few 16 year olds in the US could even imagine. Julio was on his way to live with his aunt in California to look for a job.

Can you imagine a teenager in the US risking their life to cross a deadly desert for the opportunity to work? What were you thinking about or worrying about when you were 16? I was truly humbled to be in Julio's presence.

After resting, drinking water, eating, washing himself, and getting clean clothes and shoes, Julio was on his way. We helped him as much as we could and he continued on his journey in hopes of fulfilling his dreams. I don't where Julio is now, but I pray for his safe passage and will always keep him in my heart.

(written by Jenny Dale)

Agua, Comida y Medicina...

Agua, Comida y Medicina…

(Water, Food and Medicine...)

Karina, Jenny, and I finished our time at the No More Deaths camp near Arivaca, AZ which is situated nearly 10 miles from the border. Our time there consisted of bringing water, food and medical needs to the migrants in the desert. The work of NMD's and other humanitarian aid groups at the border have had significant impact on those who are in dire need. The experience on those who spend time at the desert camp has also had significant impact on the lives of those with privilege. Many college students and other volunteers come from all over the country to volunteer and learn. It was great to be able to spend time with folks at the camp that were from all over the country. There were folks from Seattle, Colorado, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, and others from Arizona. It was a great mix of people who had found their way to the desert from many different places and for many different reasons.

We would leave camp at about 7:00am, driving the roads and walk the trails frequently traveled by migrants and return to camp around 11:30am. We would then go out again after lunch around 2:30 and stay out until around 6:00pm. It was an amazing feeling to leave gallons of water at one point and return the next day to find them empty. It's monsoon season, and after a night of a rough storm we walked the trails and left blister kits and socks in a drop box in the hopes that it would help migrants who had injured feet because of walking in wet shoes. We then returned to the same drop box in the afternoon and found that the socks were gone. Although we never encountered the migrants, we know that they took them and hopefully it will help them along their journey.

We left our time in the desert with the feeling that we had helped people in the desert and with a deeper understanding of the migrant journey through the desert. We also left with a re-newed commitment to work for systemic change that will address the root causes for why people make the decision to cross such a vast and dangerous desert and to address the immigration policies and enforcement strategies that do not treat migrants with the basic human rights and dignity they deserve.

(written by Stephanie Dernek)

Bringing the Border to Washington, DC Part I

No More Deaths Press Conference 9/12/2008

Bringing the Border to Washington, D.C.

A delegation from No More Deaths will be making their way to Washington, D.C. as a part of Congressional Briefing hosted by Raul Grijalva on September 17th and a briefing hosted by Amnesty International on September 18th. Below are some clips from the press conference that Jenny Dale and Stephanie Dernek attended. We will post a summary of the document as soon as we are able.

Opening Remarks- Rev. Diane Dowgiert, Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson



Testimony from Green Valley Samaritans- Shura Wallin



Testimony from No More Deaths Volunteer- Jimmy Wells


Testimony from Tucson Samaritans & No More Deaths- Margo Cowan


Our job, collectively is to make the realities of the border known throughout the country. The abuses documented by NMD in this report are very important to lift up, recognizing that these too can happen in our backyard if we are not vigilant in ensuring that the rights of all people are maintained.

The Next Leg of our Journey - NMD Tucson

The Next Leg of Our Journey

We will be worshiping at Southside Presbyterian Church tomorrow morning. Southside was a leader in the Sanctuary Movement in the 1980s and has continue as a sanctuary church to this day and so much more.

In the afternoon we will be joining up with No More Deaths (NMD) Tucson for the volunteer training to prepare us for our days in the desert. We will be at the NMD desert camp until Friday, September 12th. Please visit the blog in a few days. We will have much to share.

No More Deaths Mission is:
To end death and suffering on the U.S./Mexico border through civil initiative: the conviction that people of conscience must work openly and in community to uphold fundamental human rights.

http://www.southsidepresbyterian.org/
http://www.nomoredeaths.org/

Re-envisioning our Goals

Re-envisioning our Goals

This delegation was born out of a call both personal and as organizational members of Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition (CNSC). In our work as CNSC we recognize the connection that many immigrants in Chicago have made the journey across the vast and treacherous desert of the Arizona border region. Many know family or friends or they themselves have made this journey, coming from Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia and other Latin American countries.

This trip is one of accompaniment, shared learning, education, awareness, service and solidarity. During this trip we hope to learn more about anti-immigrant movements and their impact on local communities, Arizona and the reverberation out to the rest of the country and to Chicago.

We feel there is great significance to the timing of this delegation. Over the past few months we have seen escalation of anti-immigrant sentiment throughout the country. We have seen two of the largest raids in both Postville, Iowa in May of this year and the most recent raid in Laurel, Mississippi. This has brought to light, at least for immigrant rights activists, that the policies of the United States government are still very anti-immigrant and continue to racially target certain populations.

The second reason is that it is still summer in the desert. In the area of the desert that we will be there are thousands of people crossing weekly. This portion of the border is one of the deadliest areas for migrants to cross. We feel it is important to lift this up this human rights crisis, with over 300 people dieing yearly.

We also are conscious of the climate in Arizona. There is much repression, violation of civil liberties, and human rights violations which is cause for understanding and action. These are happening at the border and through local and state municipalities. One of the worst cases is in Maricopa County with Sheriff Arpaio.

If it can happen in Arizona it can happen anywhere and can move throughout the country if people do not take a stand against it. When one segment of the population is being targeted this is an infringement on all of our civil liberties and rights. It is a place where repressive immigration policies, racist sentiment and the most traveled migrant trail converge.

These harsh realities call us to the border and we come to Arizona because of this.

Flagstaff, Arizona

Flagstaff, AZ

We arrived in Flagstaff, Arizona with the intention to meet with Luis Fernandez, professor of Criminology at Northern Arizona University, and to find out what’s happening around immigrant rights in Flagstaff.

Upon our arrival we took some time to hear from Luis, who is a longtime activist and former professor of Jenny Dale at Grinnell College. Luis shared with us the vision of the border as more than a fence, more than a wall, but as a reality that follows migrants as they move forward in their journeys. It’s in Maricopa County with Sheriff Arpaio, it’s in Waukegan with the deputized police force, and it’s in Chicago with the Polimigra.

Later in the evening we met with Jo and Richard from No More Deaths (NMD) Flagstaff. They started the group in January 2008 and are working to support the NMD closer to the border. Their work has included providing volunteers through the long winter months and working to fundraise to support the work of NMD. We discussed ways to keep volunteers engaged in their hometowns after spending time at the border with No More Deaths. How do we help people make the connection between what is happening on the border with the realities of their local communities?

Also present at the meeting were Joel and Katie from the Repeal Coalition. Their goal is to repeal all anti-immigrant legislation starting at the local, then state and national levels. They shared with us their plans for moving forward on this, beginning in the community of Flagstaff.

We look forward to continuing communications and strengthen our relationships with these groups to better connect Chicago and Arizona in the immigrant rights movement.


http://www.myspace.com/repealcoalition
http://www.nomoredeaths.org/

New Mexico

A Stop in New Mexico and a visit with Mary Ann Corley

Mary Ann was the director of American Friends Service in Committee in Chicago during the Sanctuary Movement in the 1980s. The Chicago Religious Task Force on Central America received refugees from Tucson and other communities on the US/Mexico border and placed them with a congregations. These refugees were fleeing wars in El Salvador and Guatemala that were funded by the U.S. government. The Sanctuary Movement was working to support refugees who were fleeing from certain death and to change U.S. foreign policy. Although there are many connections between the struggles of the 1980s and today we are still figuring out how to live out the call to action given the realities we live in today.

Visiting with Mary Ann helped lift up Chicago's strong roots of participating in the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s. Mary Ann worked with Dan Dale, among many others, to organize the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s and supported Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ as the first congregation in Chicago to declare themselves a Sanctuary Church. Today Wellington has again responded to the call for justice and solidarity and they have declared themselves a part of the New Sanctuary Movement. Congregations throughout the country are answering this same call to hospitality and welcoming the stranger.

Our visit with Mary Ann started our journey by reflecting on the past and looking to how we build the New Sanctuary Movement on the strong traditions of the Sanctuary Movement in the 1980s.

http://www.waucc.org
http://www.newsanctuarymovement.org/
http://www.clueca.org/
http://www.afsc.org
http://www.iwj.org/

Chicago IL to Oklahoma City, Ok (around 12 hours)

Oscar Romero Catholic Worker, Oklahoma City, OK

We were welcomed by Bob Waldrop in the late hours of the night (early morning) at the Oscar Romero Catholic Worker in Oklahoma City. The Catholic Worker movement was started by Dorothy Day in 1933 with the philosophy of helping people in need and making it easy for people to be good and that is what the Oscar Romero Catholic Worker is trying to do. He started this Catholic Worker in the early 1990s and named it for Oscar Romero, who was a Catholic Archbishop in El Salvador. Romero was chosen for this Catholic Worker because of his example of being one who came from privilege and chose a life of simplicity and to work with the poor, Bob and this community doing this as well.

The Oscar Romero Community delivers food to people in need, especially people who do not have transportation. Given the reality of the economy these days, Bob said that he has seen an increase in the people that needing assistance to make ends meet. Another significant piece of the work of the Oscar Romero community is the food coop that has been created to distribute locally grown and organic food throughout Oklahoma City.

Bob shared with us that Oklahoma has approximately 30,000 undocumented immigrants, but many are leaving because of the anti-immigrant legislation that has passed and the anti-immigrant sentiment in Oklahoma. The Oscar Romero Catholic Worker took a strong stance against the anti-immigrant legislation proposed in 2006 in the Oklahoma legislature that did eventually passed. In the Summer 2006 Oklahoma City Catholic Worker newspaper they proclaimed “We call upon all people of goodwill to stand together in solidarity against these wicked and evil laws that are based in racism and hatred of other cultures.”

For further information on the Oklahoma City Oscar Romero Catholic Worker their contact information is: 1524 NW 21^st, Oklahoma City, 73106 , 405-557-0436, www.justpeace.org/okccwindex.htm

Other Links of interest:

http://www.oklahomafood.coop/shop/producers/oscro.php
http://www.thedorothydaycenter.com/resources/About_CWER2007.htm
http://www.cliniclegal.org/StateandLocal/OKanalysisfinal.pdf

Chicago Border Delegation

Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition goes to Borderland in Arizona, USA.

September 3rd-19th, 2008.
from Chicago to Arizona, reflection, education, and action

The goals of the trip are to:

• Learn about what is happening in Arizona and how we can support their work

• Learn about how the anti-immigrant policies are being played out on the ground level in Phoenix with Sherriff Joe Arpaio.

• Learn about the impact of the anti-immigrant movement in Douglas, AZ and border communities

• Begin the groundwork for strengthening our relationship with Arizona and borderlands to learn how Chicago can be in solidarity with them

• Begin the groundwork for future delegation to the Border region

• Connect with New Sanctuary folks in Arizona and visit Family in Sanctuary in Kansas City

Tentative Itinerary will be:

Sep. 3: Depart Chicago

Sep. 4 Arrive in Albuquerque, NM

Sep. 5: Flagstaff, AZ

Sep. 6: Travel to Tucson, AZ

Sep. 7: Tucson, AZ

Sep. 8-12: No More Deaths Camp in desert

Sep. 13: San Javier Mission on Tohono O'odham Nation

Sep. 14: Travel to Douglas, AZ

Sep. 15: Travel to Phoenix, AZ

Sep. 16: Phoenix, AZ

Sep. 17: Depart from Phoenix, AZ

Sep. 18: Kansas City

Sep. 19: Return to Chicago

Jenny Dale is staff for Chicago Metropolitan Sanctuary Alliance for the Chicago New Sanctuary Project. She previously was a paralegal at the National Immigrant Justice Center in Pilsen from 2007-2008. Jenny graduated from Grinnell College in 2006 with majors in Sociology and Latin American Studies and made her first trip to the border as a student in 2006.

Karina Wegman is a summer intern with Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition. Karina is a student at University of Washington at Seattle majoring in Latin America studies and Human Rights. She studied at the Central American University in El Salvador during the spring 2008.

Stephanie Dernek is staff at 8^th Day Center for Justice, a faith based Peace and Justice Organization based in Chicago, IL. She focuses her work on issues of globalization, migration and environmental justice. She has participated in the Migrant Trail Walk the past three years and works with the Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition and Immigrant Defense Committee in Chicago. Stephanie has a Masters for Loyola University in Social Justice.

Border Blog- from Chicago to Arizona, reflection, education, and action.

Chicago New Sanctuary Coalition goes to Borderland in Arizona, USA.