Category Archives: Reflections

Reflections on how we feel and how the mission is changing us

Where has the time gone?

Reflections

I cannot believe that we are leaving for Texas in less than two weeks. It seems like just yesterday that we had our first group meeting, learning what this field season is going to entail.  I have been so busy with finals and the end-of-the-semester scurry to get tasks finished that this timeline hasn’t really sunk in. Now that the semester is over and I have no more deadlines to meet, this experience is becoming more and more real to me.  I am starting to feel nervous and anxious, not knowing exactly how this experience will challenge me both physically and emotionally.  Despite the nerves, I am so excited and filled with gratitude about participating in this wonderful effort.

Ever since I learned about the humanitarian work my school is involved in down in South Texas, I’ve known that I wanted to be a part of it. I have been given the amazing opportunity to participate in the excavation of migrants who perished crossing the border, and it is my first time joining this effort.  I have tried to prepare myself by reading the blog and hearing stories from those who have participated in past field seasons, but I don’t think I will ever be truly prepared for what I am going to experience down there.

We were just informed that in addition to exhuming remains from Sacred Heart Cemetery, we will also be volunteering at the Sacred Heart Humanitarian Respite Center.  Here, we will be assisting migrants as they prepare to meet their family members awaiting them in the United States. I am excited for this experience, but also a little anxious.  I cannot imagine what these individuals went through in the detention centers, and I cannot fathom the emotions they are feeling when they arrive at the Respite Center. Growing up in Michigan and now living in Indiana, I have not been exposed to or personally affected by the crisis on the border.  Volunteering at the Respite Center will be my first personal experience with this crisis, and I think it will challenge me the most.  Click here to read more about the Sacred Heart Humanitarian Respite Center on our blog.

As for now, I will begin packing and gathering all the additional items I will need for our 10 days in Texas.  These next two weeks I will spend educating myself more on the border crisis, while trying to mentally and physically prepare myself for this endeavor. I am so incredibly grateful for this opportunity and the experiences I will gain from it.  I hope that I am able to give as much as I know I will gain.

Leann

With Gratitude

Reflections

The Beyond Borders trip was a learning opportunity on many fronts. Observing and participating in this interdisciplinary effort to address the crisis of mass death at the US-Mexico border was, at once, fascinating, heartbreaking, and encouraging. The conditions of poverty, violence, and structural inequality fueling this problem are undeniably complex and have been fairly well documented by academic scholars, investigative journalists, and human rights organizations. Less well documented are on-the-ground efforts aimed at alleviating migrant vulnerability and invisibility of perished migrants and families whose loved ones have gone missing in US borderlands. I have long been fascinated by how non-governmental organizations and the state define and address the needs of the most vulnerable among us. And, working with the UIndy forensic science team has afforded me the opportunity to learn about the different facets of migrant death response in south Texas. What I witnessed was, in part, a moment within a broader process of developing advocacy networks and forging professional alliances between folks with very different skill sets and expertise. This interdisciplinary effort will, no doubt, continue to evolve in response to the very specific conditions of state (non)response to this pressing set of concerns. There is much to be learned from how those on the front line continue to navigate the sociopolitical dynamics of mass death at the boundaries of the state.

I am particularly grateful for the chance to have learned about the (relatively recent) history of the crisis in Brooks County from those working on the front lines as forensic experts, law enforcement, and advocates for coordinated state response. I am also very grateful to have learned from local human rights activists and social justice warriors who work tirelessly to build justice at the border by extending compassion, building alliances, and demanding the realization of rights for migrants and their families. And, of course, the UIndy team extended to me an amazing opportunity to learn about processes and techniques of identification; from skeletal analysis and processing of personal affects to the ins-and-outs of missing persons database registry, UIndy team members were patient and gracious hosts. I am indebted to all those who shared with me, however briefly, their time, knowledge, and expertise.

At the end of the trip, I’ve taken what amounts to a “crash course” in conditions of perished migrant identification and repatriation. The lessons I learned about the complexities of migrants’ routes and the structural and physical conditions of their deaths were uncomfortable and disquieting; death at the border is as tragic as it is needless. The lessons I learned about efforts to alleviate the suffering of families missing loved ones and migrants en route, however, offered incredible testament to the difference we can make when we apply the tools of our varied disciplines in service of social problems and in the spirit of collaboration.

Dr Alyson O’Daniel

A large metal cross with smaller crosses in the background in a grassy field.

Heroes

Human Rights, Migrant Death, Reflections
Two team members excavating in a trench as others look on from above
Forensic Archeology

As I reflect back upon our trip to Texas this year I keep returning to the statement “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” We started working in Brooks County in 2013 when we were invited to assist with the exhumations in Sacred Heart Burial Park.  We worked hard and provided an important contribution to the work being started there.  As we moved on to supervise the exhumations the following year, conduct skeletal analyses, navigate the identification system and interact with the community, we became more deeply embedded in the issues and more aware of the extent and complexities of the humanitarian crisis on our border.

After being away from my son for almost two weeks, he asked if we could have a special day together and go see the movie “Captain America: Civil War.” The movie focuses on the Avengers, a group of superheros tasked with doing “good” for humans across the planet. Up until this point the heroes operated as their own independent entity. In this episode, the heroes are required to accept accountability for their actions by entering into a political agreement with the United Nations that requires them to follow specific ordinances and governances. This divides the Avengers team with some of them wanting to continue their humanitarian efforts without governmental interference and others accepting of the oversight. The end result is two groups of heroes working for “good” from different perspectives.  Throughout the movie I kept thinking of the efforts in South Texas to save the living and identify then repatriate the dead.

Three team members with a red cross flag
Building Water Stations

There are many governmental and non-governmental organizations working on these efforts, and everyone is coming from a place where they feel they are doing the most “good”.   Some of these individuals are bound by rules and standard operating procedures. They are functioning within the law. This means that they have greater access and resources due to their governmental standing but also less freedom to quickly change and adapt to different circumstances.  These rules and guidelines are an important part of standardization of approach and process within the medicolegal system.  Other organizations are operating outside of the law. This does not mean they are doing anything illegal. It means they are not restricted by the same rules as the governmental agencies. They have more restricted access and resources, but they also have more freedoms. They can modify their policies and adapt to new and unforeseen circumstances. I do not see either of these approaches as better than the other as each operates differently in different situations.  But, in order to make progress regarding the crisis on the border these groups do need to work together.  We need to remember our common goal of dignity in life and in death, and not let our different approaches distract as. As in the movie “United we stand, divided we fall”.

Map of migrant deaths in South Texas
Migrant Deaths in South TX

Forensic anthropologists working on the border are part of a team of people working from different perspectives to do “good”.  There are certain resources and permissions that we need from those working within the law since most of us are not employed by any governmental entity. There are also certain freedoms and flexibilities that we enjoy by working outside the law. At times we want that accountability and at times we are thankful for our independence.

By comparing those working on border issues to The Avengers, am I calling them heroes? From those that save lives through search and rescue or maintaining water stations, to those who lighten the spirit through a warm meal or the gift of hospitality, to those that identify and repatriate the deceased to a family that needs closure, to those struggling to change policy  – By touching one heart or saving one life, yes I think they are heroes to someone.

~KEL