Category Archives: Human Rights, Migrant Death

Talking about the project itself

Falfurrias Butter

My first day in Texas was a whirl wind of activity. After an early morning flight into San Antonio, we still had a three hour drive down to Falfurrias. We piled all of our luggage into the soccer mom minivan that we rented for the trip and hit the road. After about 10 minutes into our drive we saw a sign for the Alamo and decided to take a quick detour. This had been one of the things I wanted to see while I was in Texas, so I was really excited to have a chance to go. The Alamo chapel was a lot smaller than I was expecting it to be, but no less impressive. I’ve only ever seen pictures of the Alamo in text books, so seeing this piece of American history in the flesh, was incredible.

After snapping a few pictures of the chapel, we ventured inside the compound to look at the gardens. We spent some time walking around and looking at the various monuments and plaques that held facts about the Alamo. At the end of this little detour I was beginning to learn how unforgiving the Texas sun could be.

Group picture in front of the Alamo

Later that day, after we made it to Falfurrias and checked into our hotel rooms, we made a trip to the La Mota Ranch. The Lasater family owns this ranch and was kind enough to invite us all over for dinner that night. For those of you who don’t know, the Lasater family founded the town of Falfurrias. This family also owned and founded a creamery that produced Falfurrias Butter. It’s this butter that made the town a familiar name across the state. The modern day Lasater’s are a very charming couple. They wowed us with good food and tales about their adventures around the world.

At some point in the night the conversation turned over to the issue that has been plaguing the Falfurrias community over the last couple of years. The Lasaters began to share their experiences with the undocumented border crossers they had come across on their ranch. They expressed nothing but concern for the people who were technically trespassing on their property. While listening to these stories, it hit me then how deeply this affects the entire Falfurrias community. It’s not just the UBCs, forensic scientists, investigators, and other legal entities that are affected by this issue. It’s everyone. This crisis affects all the ranch owners and everyone who is working to find a solution to end this crisis.

Amanda

Day 1

day 1 group picture with one finger raised and all smiles
Day 1

What an amazing first day in Falfurrias.  We hit the ground running this morning and didn’t stop until the sun went down in the evening.  We were immersed in an aspect of this human rights crisis that was new to us. We transitioned from helping the dead to helping the living.  We began the day by conducting a workshop on forensic archeology that was organized by the South Texas Human Rights Center and the Brooks County Sheriffs Department.  Various law enforcement personnel and Justices of the Peace were in attendance to learn about the strategies we use in the recovery of human remains and to work together to discuss ways to modify those steps to the unique situation in Brooks County.

Eddie standing in the doorway of the south texas human rights centerAfter the workshop we went to the South Texas Human Rights Center (STHRC) to learn more about their mission and ways that we can assist them over the next week.  They strive to save lives, stop the militarization of the border, work for human rights and provide life saving water stations.  Eddie and Sister Pam immediately put us to work.  Justin and Amanda made about 25 new water station barrels that will soon hold jugs of water to prevent dehydration.  They painted the barrels, numbered the lids and drilled holes to allow for air flow to keep the water from getting too hot.

Team members spray painting a "U" with a stencil on a water station barrel outside with multiple barrels in the background

Ryan spent time with Hailey, currently an intern at STHRC, learning the process of taking missing persons reports.  Ryan will be replacing Hailey at the end of the summer and was eager to learn more about his role there.  I went with Eddie to buy water to replenish the water stations already set up by STHRC and to fill the new stations that will be set up later this week.  After each group completed their various tasks we split into two teams and headed out to fill the water stations that were already placed on some of the nearby ranches.  The sun was hot and the humidity was sweltering.  We moved through areas where the brush was thick, the thorns stuck to our clothes and our skin, and the sand made it difficult to walk and to drive. We were hot and thirsty and we had the luxury of driving in a four wheel drive truck. It was hard for me to imagine what my body would feel like after walking for miles in these conditions. Our goal was to inventory the barrels. We counted how many jugs were left in the barrels, if any, and to replenish the barrels with new jugs.

The group and Eddie taking notes and looking into a water station in the brush with a white flag with a red cross in the air

Our role for the past two years has been the exhumation  and analysis of those buried without a name. We were working to return the dead to their families.  Now we find ourselves working to save lives.  We learned a lot from Eddie, Sister Pam and Hailey today.  We accomplished more today than we thought possible and look forward to the new adventures tomorrow has in store for us.

Dirt road in the brush with a wire fence on the left side and trees to the right

~KEL

Dignity of the Dead

In addition to packing, I am also spending the evening reading the “Protocol Development for the Standardization of Identification and Examination of UBC Bodies Along the U.S.-Mexico Border: A Best Practices Manual”.  These suggested best practices were adopted by Texas last week and provide an outline for the recovery and identification of unidentified migrants.  Part of our trip back to Falfurrias includes a training session on forensic archeology for local law enforcement, which is suggested in the manual. “All entities involved in the recovery of UBC remains should introduce basic training programs and instruction on different aspects of evidence collection, including recovery techniques.”

While the manual contains basic information on proper protocol, it is also laden with reminders of the seriousness of the situation. The fact that these counties are “faced with disaster-scale death numbers” that would stretch the resources of any county in the US.  A reminder of the high death toll of this humanitarian crisis.


Burial marker with "unknown person May 16 2008" on it

The manual also puts a face on the crisis by reminding us that a basic human right includes the expectation that every family should have the opportunity to participate in the decision making process for the disposition of the remains of their loved one.  It reminds me that when people ask me “Why do you…”, “Why don’t you…”, or “Maybe you should…” that I should refer them to the internationally held principle that unidentified remains should be available for families to reclaim.  That there are international requirements for the treatment of the dead. That the 1949 Geneva Convention suggests proper and respectful treatment of the dead including honorable interment and the avoidance of cremation unless imperative for reasons of hygiene.  It reminds us that “For families of the missing, grief may be unresolved for long periods of time, when they do not know what has happened to their loved one. With this in mind, nothing should be done to make this process more difficult for a grieving family.” It’s a reminder that you cannot expect a certain level of respect for you and your family during a difficult process like this unless you extend the same basic level of respect for others.

We feel honored to be invited to Brooks County to conduct a training session. Our work to date has been uncovering the past as an effort to identify those buried without a name. This portion of our trip will contribute to the future of identification efforts.  Part of the training will include understanding the difference between human and nonhuman bone. Wish us luck as we carry the bones used for this portion of training (none are human) in a suitcase through the airport! I have all the documentation needed to show them who we are and what we are doing. But it should still be interesting!

~KEL