All posts by Frankey Leggio

Thoughts from home

Human Rights, Migrant Death, Reflections

I woke up alone for the first time in seven days with absolutely nothing to do. 

Being back at home, it feels weird waking up without the rush of getting ready and moving around my teammates in the morning. No hotel breakfast or chatting about our plans for searching for the day, no vitamin C packets that we would drink every morning, and weirdest of all, having nothing to do. It feels wrong to not be going out and starting my day with the people I have been around for a week.

I find myself reflecting a lot about our trip. I am so proud of all of my teammates and everything we were able to accomplish over this short time. We successfully made a recovery and helped clear multiple areas of land in our searches on the ranches. Of course, the work we left in Falfurrias is never complete, and there will always be the ‘what if” feeling. What if we spent one more day, what if we searched a mile further or even just walked 20 more feet… There will always be a “what if” feeling, but we have to focus on what we did do, and use that to better prepare for future trips. Whenever I find myself thinking “what if,”  I try to think about how successful our trip was, and what if we had never gone? It is easy to get caught up in the “what ifs,” but there will always be something more we could do or could have done. It feels wrong to be here in Indiana, in my home with my heater on, with access to water, food and everything I need. Sitting here, knowing there are so many people that do not have those things, and thinking about the people who risk their lives everyday coming to the United States in hopes of a different life. 

The day feels heavy in my heart. I wish we could have stayed longer, but there will always be the idea of one more day. I am forever grateful for the days I was able to spend in Falfurrias. I learned so much about the wildlife, the area, the food, the culture, the people who live there, and more about the political climate and economy in South Texas. I was able to learn so much from Don and Ray, who are out in the field year round searching for the missing. 

Searching under the trees to find artifacts left behind
Searching under the trees to find artifacts left behind

Although I will never truly understand what it is like for the people risking their lives to get into this country, I was able to see the artifacts they left behind, and how hard it was to find them. How socks, belts, bags and shoes were abandoned in the brush. Not in an open field or on a path, but underneath thorns and branches surrounded by cacti and scorpions. How food cans and bottles were left in spaces you could only crawl to get into. How the barbed wire fences were pulled down and articles of clothing were stuck in bushes. Even seeing all of those things, it is still impossible to understand how many people have made that journey and what each journey entailed. Where we were, there is no such thing as just crossing over. This trip not only opened my eyes to the situation, but changed my perspective on things I thought I knew. Although we were only there for a short time, I know this trip will stay with me and my teammates for a lifetime. 

Frankey

Team members search a field

Day 1: First day in the field

General, Human Rights, Migrant Death, Snapshots

I woke up this morning to the lights turning on in the hotel room instead of my alarm. Somehow, I think we all slept a little later than we expected, but after rotating around each other trying to brush our teeth and get into the bathroom, in no time we were all dressed and on time getting out of the door.

Jan 2025 Beyond Borders Team Members: Latham, Eriksen, Frankey, Lilly, Makenna & Chastidy
Beyond Borders 2025 Team From left to right: Dr Latham, Dr Eriksen, Frankey, Lilly, Makenna, Chastidy

After breakfast at the hotel, we made one last quick stop to the room to get our field bags, and water for the day, we realized just how well the fridge in our room worked as our water packs were just about frozen solid! With our semi-frozen water bladders out of the fridge, we had time to check the weather before hopping into the truck (74°F and a bit cloudy all day). Loading up for the drive, we split into two four wheel drive vehicles, and we were off to our first location.

At the gas station pumping gas in the truck
Don filling up the gas tank

I was in the truck with Deputy Don White and other team members were with Paramedic Ray Gregory. On our drive, Don told us stories of his previous experiences in South Texas and told us about the history of some of the ranches in the area, and the history of game hunting in South Texas. Don then made a comment about how he should have topped off his fuel tank… Time to stop for gas!

After arriving at our destination on one of the ranches in south Texas, we got ready to begin searching the area. We were looking for someone who was reported to have been left in an area of the ranch with two ponds, a windmill and under a tree in a field. We were searching in areas of the property based on that information of his last known whereabouts, but because the information was vague, we searched in different areas on the property where Don thought it might be best to look.

Collection of empty bottles and food cans under the trees
Collection of empty bottles and food cans under the trees

We conducted line searches in the long stretches of fields, and searched within tree lines and through thick foliage. In multiple areas we searched, there was a remnant mix of old and new items left, indicating a previous pathway. Don then noticed an active amount of vultures flying and landing overhead so we shifted our search towards them. While searching, we also found multiple sites indicating that people had been there recently. Many of these sites were in areas under the shade of trees and surrounded by thick brush and cacti, hiding them away. We found empty bottles and food cans that were not rusted, as well as a pair of abandoned boots and some other articles of clothing. But we did not find the missing person.

A shoe found under a tree in the field
A shoe found under a tree in the field

We encountered various wildlife including spiders and other insects as well as some javelina crossing our path from the truck. After lunch, Ray made sure all of us were still staying hydrated and were ready to continue our search. We got back in the trucks and moved to another area of the ranch to search. We conducted more line searches through the field. But again we did not find him. Don narrowed the search area to an eight mile stretch on this ranch, a large area impossible to search in one day. Uncertain coordinates and vague descriptions are not uncommon, and it shows some of the challenges faced in finding missing people in the Texas Borderlands. But we left knowing we had at least cleared the areas we searched today.

Late afternoon we started our drive back towards town. As I stared out the car window on our way back (with socks laying in my lap) I couldn’t stop thinking about how much walking and searching we had done, and how we searched such a small area compared to the vast amount of land just this one ranch had. Most of the landscape to the novice eye looks exactly the same. I know without the help from everyone on the Beyond Borders team, I would have gotten turned around in minutes. I could not imagine how overwhelming it would be to try to navigate out here alone, while being tired, hungry and thirsty. It’s only the first day, and we can’t wait to get back out tomorrow to continue our search.

Socks barking at cows we encountered
Socks barking at cows we encountered

On the drive back, we took a different route, and went through the checkpoint. We stoped for an amazing dinner at the Taqueria Jalisco, and we ended the night with a debriefing meeting where we discussed our progress from the day and assigned new daily roles for tomorrow.

Today, we successfully cleared two separate areas on the ranch as the start of our search. As a team, we feel good about our first day and are ready for whatever comes our way tomorrow!

Frankey

Preparing for the Weather

Snapshots

Now that we are only a few days away from getting on a plane to Texas, I find myself thinking about the trip all of the time. Every morning when I wake up, I normally check the weather for the day, and now I’m also checking the weather in Falfurrias, Texas. I was surprised to see the estimated temperatures for each day are dropping slightly the closer we get to the first day of our 2025 Beyond Borders trip. Checking the weather is one way that I prepare for each day, and I have started incorporating it into my preparation for the upcoming Texas trip. Along with checking the weather, I have started collecting all of the supplies and clothes for the trip and separated everything into piles in the corner of my living room. Everyday I see the pile and add something to it that I remember I might need. 

 Seeing my friends and family over the recent holiday, I have been asked almost every day if I am ready for the trip, and each day I feel like I have a slightly different answer. With all of the supplies and gear, I believe I am prepared for the weather, as we know I have been checking it everyday. I believe I am prepared for the long days as I have water bottles and snacks, but even with all the preparation that I am so blessed to be able to do, we do not know the challenges we might face in the field until we are there. In preparation for the trip, I have started to read some excerpts from books that Dr. Latham had suggested in one of our Beyond Borders team pre-trip meetings. I have also reached out and talked to previous years trip members and asked them to tell me about their personal trip experiences.

I have been thinking about it, and I think the answer to the question if I am ready is yes, I am physically ready for the trip, but we will all have different experiences each day we are in Texas. As the days get closer to the trip, I find myself preparing in different ways. I’m going into the trip each day reminding myself to be open to whatever challenges might arise, and to approach each day with a positive attitude. Just like the weather, we can try to prepare for what is predicted but it can always change. The way we react to the change is what is important.

Frankey