Hasta La Proxima Vez - Until Next Time

The time has come to leave this corner of the world. In such a short time, we became a part of the small community here. Despite trying to stay neutral, I can't help but feel certain ways about the situation down here. In two words: It's complicated. I always knew that people came into this country illegally, but I never truly understood what this entailed until I saw it face to face and actually talked with these people and got a glimpse of the difficult journey they endure. I gained a certain appreciation for my own life and an increased sympathy for those not as fortunate as I. I can't blame people for wanting more from their life. If I lived in a country that oppressed my ability to care for myself and my family, I would most likely go somewhere else as well. At the same time, I hate that we are so driven by the mighty dollar to risk our life and separate from our family to achieve this perceived goal of economic freedom. The people I encountered were in search of work. If at first they did not succeed in crossing into the U.S, they undoubtedly would try over and over again until they did. I had to wonder…is it all worth it? Could a life living in the shadows and working crappy jobs that most Americans don’t want to do anyway really be that appealing? However, with 45 million Mexicans living in extreme poverty, the prospect of making even $4 an hour must be sweet. I fear what will happen in the future. Immigration is becoming a very hot topic in government circles and the current administration now positions people coming into this country over unsecured borders as a threat to national security. It is not long before undocumented worker will become synonymous with potential terrorist. If all goes as proposed, billions and billions of tax dollars will be spent building a massive fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. And, anyone crossing the border illegally could end up in jail with a felony on their hands. Down in New Mexico/Mexico, the prospect of a fence was often likened to the Berlin Wall and viewed as a waste of money. As always, there is the other side of the coin. Are there even enough jobs to go around sustaining such a massive influx of migrants? Aren’t there enough people in this country as it is? Would a guest worker program really minimize illegal crossings as suggested or will it only prove to people that the opportunity in this country is very real? Is there anything the Mexican government can do to keep their citizens from wanting to leave? What incentive does the Mexican government have to stop the migration when a good portion of the money made in the U.S. eventually ends up back in Mexico and in return fuels its economy. Like I said, it’s complicated. I could go on forever. So, moving on.

I literally rode off into the sunrise to catch a plane out of El Paso content not to see or eat Mexican food for awhile. Don’t get me wrong the food was dee-lish, but I’m cool for now. As a side note, it apparently isn't that strange to carry cow skulls onto the plane. The security in the El Paso airport didn't even bat an eye as I sent a cow skull with horns and all through the x-ray machine. Just in case anyone was wondering.

Until next time, this is Jalapeña no longer on the border signing off and stepping down from the soapbox.

It's a Cowboy's Life

We interviewed a local rancher that grew up in the Columbus/Deming area. He gave us a glimpse into a day in his life. He has a small herd of free range cattle which graze on land he leases from the BLM. As supplemental income, he also breaks horses for other ranchers in the area. As we interviewed him outside his empty corrals, his small herd came walking up as if on cue. When we entered the corral, some of the cows ran and subsequently got separated from their calf. We had to manage the interview over the noise of the cows mooing to each other in anxiety over the separation. We got to see him rope a few of the calves as he would if they were being branded. This is a skill I marvel at, but I have to say I squirmed a bit to see the calf dragged across the ground by the rope. The ranching community is strong down here on both sides of the border. There is camaraderie among the ranchers in the area. Cows have been known to stray and sometimes cross the border and ranchers from both sides will hold them and get word to the owners so they can come and drive them back closer to home. He said he knew he wanted to spend his life on a horse. Despite his parent's dismay, he has dedicated his life to being a cowboy. He commented that in school he doodled horses and cowboys roping. I don't remember my doodles in school having that much meaning for my life.

I think we were all a little enamored after the interview of a life so simple and sweet. He really loves what he does and had such a positive outlook on life. We tried hard not to think about our impending return to the City as we sipped beer in the back of a pickup under the Southwest sun.





Cows separated from their calves and not very happy with our presence.


I got to horseback ride, which was awesome. In the past year, I've had this strange craving to ride horses. I was thrown off when I was about 10 years old and for many years I had a fear of riding them. But, there was no fear left. I hopped on Bubbles like no time had passed since I had been on a horse. Bubbles is pregnant with her twelfth calf! But, by the way she took off, you couldn't have guessed.

Back to Kindergarten

We visited a Kindergarten class in Palomas, Mexico. As an excercise, the teacher had each student go up to the chalkboard and write their name. They had to stand on a little to chair to reach, but these four and five-year olds all wrote their name on the board. One little boy impressed us all when he voluntarily helped another little girl get a chair when she came in late to class. Who says chivalry is dead! They all lit up when I brought out my camera and started taking pictures. When I showed them that they could see the picture that was just taken, they were hooked. They would tell me who or what I should take a picture of and no sooner than I had taken the picture, I was swallowed up by a sea of munchkins trying to get a glimpse of the little LCD screen. The kids would all say to me, "A ver. A ver." Let's see! Let's see! They were adorable. I wanted to take them all home with me.....all nineteen of them.

School

New Mexico is the only state along the border that opens up their school system to kids from Mexico. Hundreds of students a day get bussed from the port of entry on the border to schools in Deming, New Mexico. This has been going on here for as long as people can remember. In Mexico, schools are very expensive. Being able to attend a U.S. public school is a huge opportunity for kids that grow up in Palomas. They learn English and get a U.S. education. From what I have been told, these kids recognize the gift. They work extremely hard and it is not uncommon for them to be among the students with the highest grades, even valedictorian.

I took these photos at the port of entry while waiting to go through U.S. customs. Parents of kids wait at the border to pick meet their kids when they are dropped off.

A Walk in Their Shoes

On Wednesday, we spent eleven hours with Grupos BETA, a Mexican-government sponsored organization that operate in several cities and towns across Mexico to aid migrants in need and to inform them of their human rights. Grupos BETA established an official office in Palomas about 7.5 months ago. For twelve hours a day, the six members of Grupos BETA travel the route common for migrants and talk to them, take down their names and origin for a list used in the event that something happens, pass out pamphlets on safety and human rights and assist anyone in need of food, water or medical attention. Alex Esquinca was our main guide. We originally met him on a migrant bus. He passed out information to us without question or discrimination even though later admitted we didn't exactly fit the description of the typical passenger. I have met few people as proud as he of the work he does. He was inspiring in his passion and eagerness to share with us all the challenges and rewards of his work.

Grupos BETA gave us a tour of this route that most migrants take when crossing from Las Chepas. Las Chepas is about a half hour drive from Palomas. It is a small village that was basically on its way to a slow extinction. Once a farming community, the families that once lived there are now only survived by its oldest members. There is a school there, but it is closed because there are no longer any children living in the village. As children grew up, they left Las Chepas and no one new is moving in.

The school with no children.

But, each day hundreds of people stop in the Las Chepas before leaving Mexico and attempting to enter the U.S. After the bus from Palomas drops people off in Las Chepas, people spend the remaining daylight hours there. We spoke with one couple that has lived in Las Chepas for thirty-five years. Their door is always open to anyone passing through. They have blankets, sheets, candy, drinks and tea to offer. When we knocked on the door to the little house, we were immediately ushered in and offered sodas and a chair. The hospitality was overwhelming and it was hard to say no to these extremely generous people. Although Las Chepas faces the U.S., there is a road that leads from the back of the town, passes the town cemetery, and winds through a mountain corridor towards a part of the border that is not as patrolled.



Above the village cemetery. The cemetery has more people buried there than the current population of Las Chepas.

Along the road, we were taken to a spot where an altar honoring La Virgen de Guadlaupe is and where migrants come and light a candle and pray before embarking on their journey. Candles on the altar were still lit from the night before. The area around the altar was piled of broken and discarded candles. A box of medicine was found on the altar with a couple of phone numbers written on it, presumably left as a message to someone.







Further down the road, we stopped at a memorial where a man was shot by a bandit while driving fifteen migrants to the border. We learned that the mountain corridor at night is often plagued with border bandits that wait high up in the mountain with guns to rob the migrants as they pass by. I was disgusted to hear how common this type of robbery was, but even more disgusted when we told that some of the bandits may be American, as well as Mexican.

Moving further down the road, we were taken to a lake with a shady spot under a solitary tree that is about two kilometers from the actual border. The rare shade is a popular resting spot for migrants as they wait for night to fall and begin the long miles of walking they have ahead of them. Sometimes people will drink water from the lake and as a result end up sick. We then continued onto the border, where a white monument and a short barbed wire fence marks the division. This particular section is chosen as the best place to enter because there is a small hill blocking the view of the U.S. Border Patrol cameras. Once in the U.S., the length of the journey depends on arrangements made with a coyote and the success of not being detected by U.S. patrols. If successful, we were told that the typical journey is three days and three nights. People travel by night through the desert avoiding roads and lights at all costs. Daytime is spent resting and hiding in bushes.

Cat, production manager, Alex from Grupos BETA and Me at the border

State of Emergency

In August 2005, the Governor of New Mexico declared a state of emergency in the three counties in which the state lines of New Mexico border Mexico. Up until this point, New Mexico had never been a major crossing point for immigrants or drug smuggling. But, as patrols have become increasingly tighter in other areas along the border, such as Tucson, Arizona, the Palomas/Columbus area became a quieter and easier place to smuggle people and drugs. In the Tucson area the number of agents patrolling the border region was reported to be 2,000 compared the 100 agents in the Deming/Columbus area. This shift in migration points is very apparent from everyone we have talked to on both sides of the border. It is hard to say when it actually started but the noticeable increase is as recent as the last year or two. Even now one could see the appeal of the region and why it was a good choice on the part of the would-be migrants and the smugglers. The police station in Columbus is tiny and closed at night. In Palomas, it is not much bigger and they only have five officers on duty at any given time. Declaring a state of emergency has unlocked millions of dollars, which are now being put towards increasing the number of agents, putting up long-range cameras all along the border, as well as other technology used to patrol the border.

The issue of border security has reached the Federal level and legislation has been proposed to build a fence along the entire U.S.-Mexico border and to make entering the U.S. without proper paperwork a felony. I believe that the House of Representatives has already approved 700 miles of fence to be built along the 2,000-mile border. There are already fences up in high traffic areas, such as California. Border security and preventing illegal immigration is gaining much momentum now as the issue is now presented as one of national security and anti-terrorism, whereas in years past it was viewed as more of an economic issue.

Sunset

Film Production Blog

There is another blog that we are posting to as well. This one focuses on the the daily production of the film. So, if you just can't get enough for some strange reason, check it out!

http://borderlandfilm.blogspot.com/

Coyotes

Coyotes are in abundance down here. I'm not talking about the animal when speaking of coyotes. A coyote or "pollero" is the term used when talking about a human smuggler. Human smuggling is a multi-million dollar business along the 2,000 miles of border that Mexico and the US share. For an average of $1,500, coyotes assist migrants in crossing the border into the U.S. illegally. They arrange a launching point, carved out trails, a guide to walk with them, decoys to throw off border patrol and travel arrangements and contacts on the U.S. side. Mexicans save for years and then travel North from their hometown to meet with a coyote and hope for a successful crossing. They are in such abundance here that I've met a few personally and had other well-known coyotes pointed out to me. Considering there are hundreds upon hundreds of people wishing to cross in Palomas, business is good for the coyotes.

A Dangerous Journey

Despite the help of coyotes, the crossing can still be very dangerous. As controls have become increasingly tighter in California, migration has moved to more remote locations, like the Arizona desert and the New Mexico desert. An increasing number of would-be immigrants are found dead along the border. In 2005, over 450 bodies were found. The cause of death was a combination of traveling long distances in extreme weather conditions, without much food or water and also becoming lost in the desert. There is a Mexican government-sponsored agency that operates in several towns and cities where border hopping is prevalent and their main goal is to reduce the number of deaths, inform people of their rights on either side of the border and help out any migrant in need. We first met them on our bus ride to Las Chepas, when they stopped the bus to talk to everyone. They handed us these pamphlets, which give advice on how to stay safe.

Here are some pictures from the pamphlet.


In the desert, avoid separating from your partners, especially if they are woman or children.




If you are stopped by any Mexican or American authority, do not run nor try to take anything out of your clothes and put your hands out in front.















Try to carry with you a flashlight and matches.







Avoid crossing rivers or walking by the riverbed. In a matter of minutes the level of water could rise and drag you in.

















When you decide to rest, check the place and move objects where you plan to sit or sleep; like rocks, sticks, shrubs. Poisonous animals exist there, like scorpions, spiders, snakes and others.





















If you are lost in the desert or you can't continue, stay together and make a smoky bonfire because it will be much easier for you to be located and rescued.




















When you board a vehicle, make sure the woman and children sit in the front cabin.


Never allow them to transport you in a truck without ventilation, because you can dehydrate or suffocate.



If the driver of the vehicle is driving too fast, ask them to drive slower and to be careful not too put your life in danger.