I was not expecting there to be much of a difference between my reflection from the Beyond Borders 2025 trip to this one. We went to the same county to do the same kind of work, so I was expecting to be prepared for the field work and confident in how I would emotionally handle being there. Reflecting now, I see how misguided that was. Despite going over the same week as last year, with the same amount of physical preparation, the circumstances were vastly different.
Team member obscured by the dense brush
The climate that we had encountered last year was cool during the day, so with our gear we were mostly comfortable to search without fearing for heat exhaustion. A big lesson that I took away last year was that the cool weather was a double edged sword. Yes, the days weren’t hot but the nights were dangerously cold. For migrants traveling on foot for days through the ranch landscapes, layers weren’t practical, making travel exhausting and dangerous. During this year’s trip, it was hot. Every day was above 80 degrees and we were only afforded a breeze for some of them. Back in Indy, this would be considered a nice summer day, but on the ranches, where shade can be sparse and covered in thorns and bugs, it was draining. We were incredibly lucky that if it was too hot we could be done for the day, or if we ran out of water, there was more back at the trucks to fill up. A migrant who has already been traveling for days, or more, by the time they reach Brooks County, is not afforded this. The weather that we were experiencing was not even the hottest that area gets, as summers are mostly over 100 degrees everyday. So whether oppressive heat or debilitating cold, there is no time when the climate makes this journey easier.
Trash bag that has head and arm holes cut into it so it could be used as covering
Migrants are paying thousands of dollars to cross the border and alongside every weather condition sapping their strength, there is staggering violence that they have to endure. This past year has enhanced a lot of animosity to the migrant community and even just watching the news, you can see incredibly hateful rhetoric being spouted. People believe that a migrant can just cross the border and go back to living their life, but that is not even close to the truth. A migrant’s journey is filled with violence, as well as after they are done. This year, some of the artifacts that we were able to identify showed us how this violence is fostered by the coyotes leading the groups. It was jarring to see the evidence of the treatment that migrants are encountering while already being physically and mentally exhausted. I feel lucky that I can go home, live in comfort, and call my family and friends but I also feel inadequate that there isn’t more that I can do.
On our last day, our whole team was gathered to share a final meal and we were discussing the things we had learned and why it was important for us to do search and recovery work. Something that particularly stuck with me in our discussion was the belief that migrants that are recovered deserve to be returned to their families because that is what we would want someone to do for us. Many of these individuals are in a forced migration situation and they pay exorbitant amounts of money to go north. But that does not guarantee safety. They endure horrific conditions that will either stick with them forever or kill them.
The Beyond Borders team with other team members Melissa and Danny
So yes, we went to the same county, to do the same work, but the circumstances of this trip gave me a glimpse of how there is more to a migrant’s journey than I could ever truly understand. I feel even more emboldened in my beliefs surrounding the situation and that I should continue to advocate for migrants who are risking everything to return to their families or to have a better life. I am so grateful for this opportunity and to have been able to return to this experience with an incredibly impressive team, and I am thankful that I was able to learn from and be supported by them all. I have learned there is no true way to prepare for this because it is a complex situation and that having people there with you to discuss and reflect is the best way to do so. My reflections do not end with this post, just as my previous reflections did not end after I wrote it. These past two experiences will stick with me forever, and I will use them to continue to learn, educate, and advocate for human rights in every area of my life, now and beyond.
The Beyond Borders team at the end of our final day in the field
It was strange to wake up this morning knowing that it would be the last day in Falfurrias with Don and Ray and everyone, and our last day out in the brush. There was a level of anticipation there, an excitement and motivation to get out there and make the final day count. At the same time, there was a level of sadness I felt about the trip coming to an end. About not having a tomorrow to wake up and do it all again.
Those thoughts stayed with me as we got ready for the morning, moving quietly and still half-asleep, before Don and Ray arrived at the hotel to pick us up and take us to breakfast.
We stopped at Rebecca’s, a local breakfast spot in town that serves homemade breakfast tacos and more. It was nice to just sit in this moment together, crowded around three tables that had been pushed into one, enjoying our eggs, waffles, and tacos while we talked in that easy, almost familiar way that we had developed over the course of the week.
Rebecca’s Restaurant in Falfurrias, Texas
The pause helped quiet some of the lingering thoughts that I had been carrying about the day ahead. For a little while, there was nothing to focus on or worry about except the food in front of us and the people beside me. It felt grounding to sit with the people I had spent the past week working alongside—to share a meal, to laugh, and to enjoy a brief moment of reprieve before heading back out and into the brush for our final day.
As we headed to the last ranch of the trip, we all felt a quiet sadness knowing it would be our final day of searching. We were visiting a new ranch where two skulls were previously found, so our focus would be searching for additional remains belonging to these individuals, similar to what we did on day 3. Around 3 years ago, Don had also received a 911 call about a missing person in the area, who has yet to be found. So we had two goals for today: first, to search for skeletal remains that may be connected to the two skulls previously found, and second, search for the missing person.
Ranch dirt road
We began the day splitting into two groups and searching along each side of a dirt road. We weaved in and out of mottes, checking in tall grasses, and dirt piles along the way. We found a couple of artifacts and a few more animal bones before we got a transmission from Melissa over our walkie-talkies. She reported finding a fairly large layup with recent looking artifacts. After finishing our current search, we headed over to that area, with Melissa and Danny leading the way.
Nonhuman bone in the middle of a motte
We observed the layup and were shocked by how recent it seemed. There were multiple black trash bags with holes stretched out for a head and arms to fit through. The quality and condition of the items suggested this was a high-traffic area. Next, Don had us spread out again in teams and search either side of the dirt road nearby to try to estimate what direction the migrants may have travelled to reach this area. Various artifacts were found on either side of the road, including backpacks, clothing, and discarded food and drink containers. We found a backpack, and as we began carefully unzipping and cutting open pockets, a small scorpion ran across the fabric. Moments like these are why we are so cautious when searching through clothing and other items, as there are dangers lurking and hiding almost everywhere. While we were able to take extra caution while out in the filed, migrants may not have that same luxury as they lie down to rest in a motte and open their bags at a later time. This furthered my realization of just how dangerous the entire journey is. Even during the times for rest and recovery, there are scorpions, snakes, spiders, thorns, cacti, and other predators nearby.
Melissa and Don are searching through black trash bags in a layupTrash bag showcasing head and arm holesBackpack with its contents, including Pedialyte, isopropyl alcohol, and Emergen-C packets
Just as we were finishing our search in that area, Reed transmitted that he found an Android smartphone. We were all pretty surprised about this, as we had not expected at all to find a phone, especially a smartphone. Many of us initially wondered if it was a burner phone or a flip phone. However, learning that it was a newer smartphone was a surprise, a valuable item to either lose or leave behind. It was pretty beat up, and the screen was cracked, but Don said he was pretty sure he could still figure out who it belonged to through the SIM card or serial number.
An Android phone with a cracked phone case and screen
It was another hot, long morning of surprises. We all remained flexible when moving around to different search areas and we solidified the fact that we were searching in a high-traffic area. Afterwards we had a lunch break to refuel for the second half of our day searching within the brush.
Because the layup that we found had newer artifacts and there had been recoveries in the area, our next goal was to search going north. If we continued to find artifacts from a similar time period, this could indicate how recent the pathway is and the general direction that it is moving. To do this, we conducted systematic line searches for the rest of the day.
A sweatshirt in a clearing of trees in the field.
Line searches are utilized as a way to search an open space to thoroughly clear an area. Spacing, direction, and pacing are incredibly important during these searches, especially when sweeping an area where the ground is obscured by dense grass and bushes. While conducting the line search, we were able to sweep through high, thick grass and some mottes that were along our route north, where we found few items, including monster energy cans, water jugs, and a sweatshirt. However, they were older than the artifacts found in the lay up.
Some of the Beyond Borders 2026 team conducting a line search.
This search reminded me of the disorienting nature of being out on these ranches. Even with landmarks and compasses, it is incredibly easy to lose track of yourself in the brush. As I led the line search, I was incredibly lucky to have the team with me to ensure that we conducted a thorough search and stayed on track. I cannot imagine having to traverse this terrain without this support. As this was our last day in the field, I was able to reflect back on our previous searches and why we are here. No matter how difficult we may find the terrain, we had the opportunity to assist Don and Ray in their efforts to recover individuals who deserve to be returned to their family and what we were traversing is only a fraction of what migrants encounter as they cross the border.
After a long, hot, emotional week of searching, we met up with the rest of the crew at the ranch to have one last meal together as a team. It was joyful but bittersweet, reminiscing about the trip and what we learned while getting to know each other better, all while enjoying Ray’s delicious burgers. As I sat there with everyone—some I met only a few months ago and some just this week—I truly felt at home. Besides working together under extremely strenuous conditions, we were bonded by a shared commitment to honesty. Seeing how vulnerable Don, Ray, Reed, and Melissa were being with us, sharing stories about their personal lives, military experience, and search/recovery work, we couldn’t help but reciprocate. In addition to our experiences in the brush, these stories are what I will carry with me when I leave Falfurrias.
I will never forget those I’ve met during this trip and what they taught me, nor will I forget those whose paths we crossed and the evidence left by their efforts to achieve a reality in which I live each and every day. I hope that by sharing these stories and experiences with those outside of the Texas Borderlands, I will be able generate conversations that force people to think critically about the individuals they seek to dehumanize and the motivations behind an individual’s decision to migrate.
The Beyond Border 2026 Team after a final meal together
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read our blog and those who supported and donated the Beyond Borders Team during our 2026 trip.
In the words of our new friend, “thank you much” to Deputy Sheriff Don White and Paramedic Ray Gregory for keeping us safe and guiding our journeys in this unfamiliar territory. Thank you to Dr. Reed Mckinney and Melissa Schmalhorst for joining us this year and sharing your expertise with us. We thoroughly enjoyed the laughs, lessons, and stories shared by each of you on this trip. To Socks, Oakley, and Danny, thank you for the smiles, pets, and distractions as we worked in this physically and emotionally challenging atmosphere.
Thank you to Dr. Latham and Dr. Eriksen for making this trip possible and for giving us this unique and memorable opportunity.
Thank you to the city of Falfurrias, Texas for embracing us and our work.
Similarly to yesterday we had a later start than we did the first work day. As soon as we walked out of our hotel room this morning, we were hit with a dense fog so thick we could barely see the adjacent hotel rooms. Even the entrance of the hotel wasn’t visible as we made our way to breakfast. Where we would usually discuss what ranch we were going to go to that day and the circumstances surrounding the search, we were informed of a change in our typical day. Because of the changing ranch availability, there was an opportunity to begin our day by visiting the border and searching in the afternoon. So after breakfast, we went to pick up Reed and then we began the hour and a half drive south.
Fog obscuring the drive to the border, blocking the view of ranches that are next to the highway.
As we drove, I examined the ranches we had passed on the highway for the past three days and thought about the constant barriers that exist to individuals who are trying to traverse these massive expanses of land. Because the land is mostly flat, coyotes will lead migrant groups through easily identifiable structures such as power lines, gas lines, and wind mills. On a perfectly clear day (as our trip has been thus far) being able to locate these identifiers was still extremely difficult unless you were very close and not under the brush cover. Looking out onto the highway and the ranches, where we could only see about 50 feet in front of us because of the fog, I couldn’t help but reflect on the shifting circumstances migrants face while walking. We are lucky that we have Don and Ray who know the terrain and can guide us when we feel lost (which I do most of the time) but migrants who are left behind by their group don’t have anyone to tell them what to look for. And if they cannot return to the path their group was taking, they may wonder indefinitely.
The fence located at the southern US-Mexico border.
Having this on my mind when we arrived at the border provided a more introspective experience than I was expecting. Unlike last year, when we arrived there was no one at the gate. We parked and were able to walk all the way up the hill that the gate and fence sits on to look through. While we were able to see Mexico, the other side of the fence we were looking to was still US territory, with the actual border being about a mile away. As we looked, a border patrol agent started to drive towards us. We worried that we would be told to leave or questioned about why we were there, but he told us that since traffic over that area of the border had been very slow, we could walk to another gate in the distance for a chance to see the Rio Grande river. We headed to the other gate on the dirt road that runs along the fence, but we couldn’t see the river. However, we could see the incredibly tall and dense vegetation that lay on the other side of the fence.
A checkpoint at the US-Mexico border.
This was the beginning of a migrants journey in the US, and seeing how hostile it is from the get go was hard to imagine. In our searches, where we are equipped for dealing with the vegetation, the heat, the vastness of the land, and the chance of changing weather conditions, migrants are not. We see the proof of their adaptability in the artifacts we find on the ranches and at the wall itself. This is another moment in our trip that I found myself affected by the evidence of trauma and resilience migrants face in their journey.
Thorny trees in the field, almost obscuring team members from view.
While we were at the border, we had to continue the tradition of stopping at Delia’s for fresh tamales. We needed to be back at the ranch to meet the rest of the team at noon, so with our tamales, we headed back to Falfurrias. The ranch we were going to search had hunters coming in at 3:30 pm, so as soon as we got back to Don, Ray, and Melissa, we headed out. Don brought us to an area where he had searched the base of a hill, but had not been able to check the hill itself. There had been previous recoveries to the south and to the east, so it was important to clear this middle section of land.
A thicket leading to a sandy hill.
The terrain was immensely different from what we have covered thus far, with the landscape being hilly while still being covered in sand. The brush was dense and thorny and any flat land that we encountered was covered in dense high grass. We conducted an unsystematic search of the hill, as the vegetation was too thick to effectively get through in a line search. So today it was crucial to keep an eye on at least one member of the team while thoroughly searching. We were able to systemically line search the open areas to assess the presence of artifacts. There were a few items found along our search, proving that this had been an active pathway. We reached the time we were allotted to search this ranch, and returned to the ranch Don, Ray, Reed, and Melissa were staying on to divvy out our tamale haul and replenish our energy.
An older aluminum can found in the field.
We finished searching earlier in the day, which gave us time to visit the cemetery that started it all. Sacred Heart Burial Park was the very first place UIndy was able to work at in Falfurrias. Dr. Latham showed us each place where UIndy had excavated and took the time to explain the circumstances surrounding each excavation. We started by visiting the grave of Wilmer, a migrant who was potentially identified. We put flowers on his grave and gave a moment of silence and remembrance to the individuals found in the earlier excavations. Each grave is decorated with things that that person enjoyed in life, bright and beautiful flowers, and a multitude of arches and decorations to show how loved each individual is. Even though I had visited the cemetery before, it was still an experience that elicited strong emotions in me. Knowing that UIndy was brought here because people cared so much about the migrants who died here and seeing this community that cares so much for their loved ones is beautiful and puts our shared and differing experiences into perspective.
Sacred Heart Burial Park
After the visit to the cemetery, we returned to the hotel to clean up from the hot day and get ready for our evening plans. Tonight, we were able to take out Don’s drone. He taught us how to fly it and how to spot different animals in the brush using infrared vision. Bonding with the whole team, where we could share stories and discuss our lives in an informal setting was memorable and was a great bonding experience.
Beyond Borders 2026 team at the end of day 4. From left to right, Amanda, Peytin, Makenna, Lilly, Amandine, Krista, and Reed.
Today was an unexpectedly busy day. Not only were we able to search, we also went to places where we were able to reflect more on the work that we traveled here to assist with and the individuals that we are doing it for. All of our experiences from this trip and the people I have met have made this field season incredibly unique and this has been a great group of people to work with. Our experiences have been incredibly memorable so far, and I have learned a lot from them. I will carry these reflections with me as we continue into our last day and beyond as we return to Indy.
