Category Archives: Human Rights, Migrant Death

Talking about the project itself

Sandy trail at the ranch surrounded by dense vegetation.

Day 2: Lost in the Weeds

Environment, Human Rights, Migrant Death, Snapshots

Day two began with the plan to spend an entire day searching on an over 6,000-acre ranch in Brooks County. Our morning began with a humongous breakfast with Don and Ray at a local establishment called Rebecca’s Breakfast and More. Three out of the four of us decided to indulge in a plate of pancakes rather than the breakfast tacos they’re known for. We spent the breakfast sharing some of the photos we took the day before and getting to know each other a little bit more. Each of us filled our stomachs to the brim which we would need for the long day that was ahead of us.

Don and Socks in the Jeep driving to the ranch.
Don and Socks in the Jeep driving to the ranch.

Once we finished eating, we headed straight to the ranch that we were to spend the entire day searching on. I got to ride with Don and Socks in his Jeep where he told me about the many ranches, politics, and economics of Falfurrias. Ranches in Texas are usually passed down by lineage, but, on occasion, they are sold for millions of dollars. The owners may live on or off the property, hire a ranch manager, and sometimes a sub-manager, who often live on and handle the workings of the ranch. Many of the ranches in South Texas generate thousands in revenue via ‘for-profit’ hunting. This has led to ranchers importing and breeding exotic animals such as javelina (similar to wild hogs), a kind of Indian deer called nilgai, zebras, and even a kind of buffalo.

Dr. Latham standing as a reference to how big the trunk of the tree in the center of a mot is.
Dr. Latham standing as a reference to how big the trunk of the tree in the center of a mot is.

On a previous search of the area, Don had recovered partial skeletal remains. We went back with the Beyond Borders team to try and find some of the other elements of the skeleton. The terrain was denser and had more variety than the ranch we briefly searched yesterday. We traded the short grass and small sand hills for nearly 4-foot tall shrubs and mots (masses of trees) the size of houses. The foliage on this ranch grew to be very big and uncontained. These mots were a twisted maze of thorned branches acting as a natural barrier to the usually cooler lush center where the stump of the tree is located. We searched many of these mots during our time in the field, as evidenced by our torn flannels and long-sleeved shirts. Mots can be so thickly dense that you may not be able to see someone only a few feet from you. I experienced this confusing maze and how easy it is to get lost, panicked, and turned around. We had nearly made it through a dense mot to search for forgotten items and remains. One minute I have a clear view of my partner, and the next I duck under some trees and suddenly lose them, although I could hear them right next to me. I took one direction which appeared clear, but quickly found myself surrounded by thorned twigs and giant branches blocking my path in all directions. I knew that the outside was just a few feet in front of me and I could catch glimpses of my companions’ backpacks and brightly colored bandanas. It was then I tried to backtrack ducking under branches but in all the confusion I had lost where I was and went back and forth between the same areas (a natural reaction that tends to happen out in the borderlands). Knowing that I was lost and would not be able to navigate a way out by myself, I called over the walkie-talkies to let everyone know. Once Don got eyes on me, it became a coordinated effort to direct me to travel the less than 10 feet I was from the tree line.

Chastidy standing at the threshold of a mass of trees (mot).
Chastidy standing at the threshold of a mass of trees (mot).
Pocket knife and old power bank found discarded within a mass of trees.
Pocket knife and old power bank found discarded within a mass of trees.

Using systematic line searches of the brush and mots, we discovered several items left by migrants while traveling, including the usual water jugs, clothing, cans, and food containers but also items such as a pocket knife, a dead power bank, and a backpack in good condition with a  jug filled with unclean water inside. Every time we discovered a discarded item, it made me think about the person who left that item behind. A particular stump in a mot had tons of empty fruit cups along the ground. Was this a group traveling together? How many? How long have they been traveling? Some items left confused me such as the pocket knife, but particularly the backpack with water. We have learned from Eddie, Dr. Latham, Don, and Ray that the main reason migrants die traveling to the United States is dehydration. Why then would someone leave an item versatile in carrying many things and a jug containing one of the most pivotal things needed for this journey? In thinking about some of the literature I’ve read and stories Don and Ray have told us, there could be any number of reasons why they decided to leave them. This individual might not have had the strength to carry the backpack and jug any longer. They may have recognized that the water was not safe to drink and decided to leave it behind to unload some weight. They could have likewise been spooked and fled the area quickly, thus leaving it behind. We may never know the true reason.

Taking a break to give some pets to Socks.
Taking a break to give some pets to Socks.
The team, in full gear, trekking through the Texas borderlands.
The team, in full gear, trekking through the Texas borderlands.

After stopping for a late lunch and playing with Socks, we headed back out to search more. As we trekked through the tall grass, uneven terrain, and dodged cacti, I would frequently think about the migrants who had walked where I walked. Here I am with gaiters, thick Carhartt pants, a thick flannel, and sturdy hiking boots whereas migrants may have a pair of blue jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes. We are walking the same path, but for different reasons, and from vastly different positions of privilege. The drive and determination of these individuals demands respect. Respect and dignity should also be shown to those who passed away while trying to achieve a life better than what they once came from. That’s what I hope our work achieves by the end of our stay here in Falfurrias: restoring the basic human rights of those who’ve passed by recovering them and helping repatriate them back to their loved ones.

We finished our search for the day, as a team, exhausted but happy with our progress. With Don and Ray, we ate a humongous dinner at Jalisco Taqueria. With full stomachs, we left to head back to our hotel to reflect, refresh, and recharge for day 3!

The Beyond Borders team in the field during day 2!
The Beyond Borders team in the field during day 2!

Chastidy

2024 Beyond Borders Team Circled Together in Conversation

Day 1: The Learning Curve

Environment, General, Human Rights, Migrant Death

Today was our first day in the field. We were able to sleep in a bit, at least compared to our 4AM start yesterday. The day started with breakfast at the hotel which prompted the conversation of how toasted toast should be. We also made some homemade wellness shots using Emergen-C and the hotel’s juice selection. From there, our team visited the South Texas Human Rights Center for the first time.

South Texas Human Rights Center Facility
South Texas Human Rights Center

We met Eddie, one of the organizations three founders, and he gave us the run-down of how the South Texas Human Rights Center came to be and what the center has been able to accomplish in the past few years. Eddie and his two colleagues, Nora and Vanessa. answered phone calls from those who need help throughout the moring. Much of the help they provide comes in the form of information. They answer so many different questions depending on the information someone needs. Where should I go? Who should I call? What does this mean? Though the help they provide is important, Eddie remarked the most important aspect of answering calls is being willing to listen. Many who call the center may be experiencing a tragedy, and speaking with someone who is willing to listen can be a great comfort. Eddie and his colleagues told us stories of how they were able to help and sometimes when help didn’t come soon enough. It was heart wrenching.

Meeting at South Texas Human Rights Center (From Left to Right: Eddie, Claire, Chastidy, Hannah, and Ella)
Meeting at the South Texas Human Rights Center

At about noon, Eddie headed out to tend some of the water stations with a service learning group from South Carolina University just as Don and Ray arrived. Don and Ray will be our guides and support system as we head into the field. Don is a skilled tracker wth extensive experience doing searches in the remote ranchlands here in south Texas. He is able to tell so much information from what he sees in the field. Ray is also an expert in search and recovery, and a medic. He makes sure the team can give our best out in the field. Ray carries a large backpack that holds medical supplies if we need it.

Don (Pictured on the right) and Ray (Pictured on the Left)
Ray and Don

We packed into Don’s Jeep and Ray’s truck and headed to the area we will be searching. Our search today was based on GPS coodinates where someone was reported missing. First, we did a systematic line-search, which was a new technique for the whole student team. The struggle of keeping pace, while making sure to search the area effectively was a new challenge.

Individuals Performing a Line Search (From Left to Right: Chastidy, Claire and Hannah)
Line Search Formation

Don scouted ahead disappearing and reappearing multiple times. Just when we thought we had not seen him for a while, he would chime in over the radio about our progress waving from his vantage point. Don was also followed closely by his dog Socks. She often ran through our line to check in on us before returning to Don’s side.

Socks, Don's Dog
Socks

Ray followed behind us, giving short anecdotes as we searched. We then moved into a more difficult area with dense vegetation and mots (mass of trees). The area required us to partner up so we could search without losing our way. Over the course of the afternoon, we found some trash and debris, which was evidence of migrant activity in the area, as well as a plethora of animal bones.

Animal Skeletal Remainas
Animal Skeletal Remains

Overall, today offered so many learning opportunities. I look forward to how we will improve as we continue throughout the week.

The team with Don and Ray eating dinner at Stricklands
Day 1 dinner at Stricklands

Claire

Image of the Beyond Borders team members in Eagle Pass, TX

We Decide What to Do With the Time That is Given Us

Human Rights, Migrant Death, Reflections

The field of forensic anthropology has grown due to disasters. While most of forensic anthropology practice occurs on single death cases, it’s the disasters that have brought attention to and interest in the field out of the need for it to grow. Genocide and mass graves in Eastern Europe and Latin America first warranted the training of large teams of forensic anthropologists. The September 11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, aircraft crashes, large fires in the western US and the prolonged mass disaster along the US-Mexico border have drawn students to the field. Once each disaster is addressed we wonder if the field will be saturated with practitioners, but there’s always another disaster. Some of them are sudden, unexpected and relatively short in terms of investigation. While others are prolonged in terms of deaths and investigations.

Team members exhuming a grave in Eagle Pass with Deputy White in the background.
Exhumations in Eagle Pass

With all mass disasters we ask “why” and “how” this could possibly happen. With the US-Mexico border crisis these questions have lingered for decades with no response. Addressing immigration policy or the global circumstances that have created the mass migration event are often out of the hands of the forensic scientists, but we can address questions of and advocate for policies that focus on the forensic investigations and analyses. For decades I’ve watched colleagues in Arizona and Texas work to find creative ways to address the large volume of migrant deaths with little state provided resources. My colleagues in Texas are not paid to do this work, they have chosen to devote their time and resources to locating, identifying and repatriating those who died crossing the border.

Two team members removing dirt from a burial with shovels.
Removing loose dirt from above the burials in Eagle Pass

What I have always struggled with, second to the fact that a large number of deaths occur on our border in the first place, is the lack of support for this work. There are always family members and friends that vocally display their lack of support for the volunteers working in the Texas borderlands. Their opposition is usually politically driven and narrowly focused.  We decide what to do with the time given us. For my colleagues it means dedicating themselves to this work daily. For the Beyond Borders Team it means shorter bursts of intensive work and immersion in this crisis.  The students learn practical forensic skills that will prepare them for a future in the field. They are being provided with an opportunity to grow and expand their skills, which should be celebrated. Yet that is often overshadowed by the context in which they are working. Every member of the Beyond Borders team has chosen to spend their time working on this large-scale identification project. They have chosen to work towards providing closure to families of the deceased and have chosen to put themselves in often uncomfortable and difficult situations in order to grow as professionals and as people.

Three team members measuring the location of a grave marker to create a map.
Mapping in Eagle Pass

We decide what to do with the time given us. We can decide to be positive and work towards positive change, we can do nothing or we can work against it.  More and more often I find myself worrying about the physical and mental health of my closest colleagues working regularly at the border. With what I experience after just short trips, I can’t begin to imagine how they feel with the daily weight of this work. So, if you see a smile out of place in our work photos, do not misinterpret it as making light of the situation. It’s usually a smile at someone we admire, a smile at someone we are happy to see, a smile at someone we are watching grow or just a smile that helps us get though whatever difficult situation we are facing at the moment.  If you have a forensic scientist or last responder in your life, take a moment to check in on them. You have no idea what they see, hear and experience on a daily basis. Whether you agree with the context of their work or not, they are choosing to make a positive contribution to society regardless of the emotional and physical toll it might take on them.

Two team members removing dirt from a burial with a shovel and mattock.
Breaking up the hard top soil in Eagle Pass

The purpose of this blog is to bring awareness to the situation in the Texas borderlands through the perspective of the forensic scientists working there. We try to provide you an insight you will not get from watching or reading the news. While there are so many challenging, difficult and disheartening things I could focus on in my reflections of our time at the border, I always try to highlight something positive.  I am so incredibly proud of the hard work and growth I witnessed in all the students at the cemetery during this trip to Eagle Pass. It was physically challenging and emotionally difficult yet they started and ended each day with professionalism and motivation, learned to work as a team, witnessed the complexity of a crisis with no end in sight, and chose to spend their time serving others in a time of crisis and disaster.
~KEL