Category Archives: Human Rights, Migrant Death

Talking about the project itself

Through different eyes

Human Rights, Migrant Death, Reflections

This has been the third day of 5:45 wake ups and each day I am slowly getting to breakfast later and later.   Every day I have gotten in the pool but mainly for a type of medication. I never realized how much better mosquito bites feel in chlorine or maybe it’s just the water. I do not know but it’s about the only time in the day I am not scratching bites.  Since I did not post yesterday I have two birds of the day but I am not going to give a list of the birds I saw since they are mostly duplicates.  But yesterday’s bird of the day was the golden-fronted woodpecker and today’s bird of the day would have to be the summer tanager because I saw the male and female together almost the entire time.

UIndy team members working in a tight area of a burial from the ground levelToday was a big day on site and the team took a big step.  For me this was a huge first of something I would not mind doing the rest of my life.  Today I think everything really set in.  I wrote earlier about the fact that these individuals were unknown.  After accomplishing today’s task I really reevaluated life.  There are so many things that come so easily and unexciting to many of us that we unconsciously take them for granted.  I can’t sit here and say that I will never take anything for granted ever again.  However I can say that each day is a gift and I am grateful.  After the events today and after reading “Showdown in the Sonoran Desert” by Ananda Rose I was torn:  I have read about the reasons why people leave in search for better lives but there is no way I can actually fathom it.  Leaving family trying to make a better life for them is a sacrifice. Not knowing if what they seek to accomplish will be a success is also a sacrifice.  These people are doing what they think is best and today I embraced that they are making the ultimate sacrifice.  I am grateful to be a part of this group and to feel as though we are making some difference.  I appreciate the welcome that we have received here in Falfurrias and hopefully we can continue to help this crisis and help people realize every little bit does help.

The cover of Ananda Rose's book reading Showdown In The Sonoran Desert Religion, Law, and Immigration Controversy - Ananda Rose with an image of 3 people assisting each other in climbing a fence
By Ananda Rose

Cheneta

Southern Hospitality

Community, Human Rights, Migrant Death, Reflections

Metal grave marker reading "Unknown Female Remains"

What I do is not very glamorous.  I specialize in forensic anthropology, in short I deal with dead things (specifically bones).  When I tell people that I specialize in forensics, I am usually greeted with a disgusted “Why?”  Occasionally, people are intrigued.  In Falfurrias, the community has been nothing but appreciative.

I don’t know what I was expecting the first time we travelled to Falfurrias.  Initially I thought we would be faced with hostility.  Immigration and border issues are a hot-button issue.  Border concerns are incredibly politically volatile and polarizing.  I was certain that our human rights work would not be well received or at the very least misunderstood.  I could not have been further from the truth.  Instead of fear and animosity, the community has truly embraced our work.  I never could have anticipated the reverence given by this far-away community that I now love as my own.

The people of Falfurrias never asked for death at their doorstep.  They are merely the victims of circumstance.  The community had no means of dealing with a tragedy of this magnitude.  Our work, however slight it may be, helps to ameliorate this crisis.  While what we do is no quick-fix, we offer whatever assistance we can.  Our work is not a solution- it is but a bandage on a very deep wound.  Hopefully, more exposure will bring more assistance and discourse to help solve this problem.

We could not do this work alone.  In fact, we are tourists in this problem.  We are here for a few weeks a year to lend whatever assistance we can.  We stand shoulder to shoulder with a force of amazing individuals; the people of Falfurrias, the professors and students of Baylor and Texas State, and the local police and border patrols.  They face these issues every day, and should be recognized as the true heroes for this cause.

Justin

Surrendering to the Heat

Environment, Human Rights, Migrant Death, Reflections

This heat is real.

The weather was good to us yesterday in the field. Clouds blocked the sun for most of the day, and so we were able to work until noon without the heat slowing us down. We weren’t so lucky today.

We arrive at the site every day around 5:45am to get a head start before the sun comes up. The humidity and accompanying mosquitoes are always around, but these factors don’t slow us down. Today, however, the clouds were scarce and the sun was fierce by 10:30am. Spending most of our time with our knees on the ground and our heads near the dirt, our immobile positions left us extremely vulnerable to the sun and it wasn’t long until our backs and arms began to cook. We quickly moved the tents we had over our quadrants to protect ourselves as we tediously troweled our trenches. With the tents overhead and our water bottles nearby, we were able to work efficiently and carefully in the rough environment. I moved from group to group to monitor and assist different teams of students. Sometimes I ended up helping for over half an hour without a break. It’s easy to lose track of time at the field, and I learned quickly after lunch that my carelessness had gotten the best of me.

After lunch, I started working on our quadrant again, shoveling and carrying buckets full of dirt as we continued our excavation. But I was only able to carry about two buckets before I knew that I wasn’t feeling quite right. I stepped off to the shade, chugged half of my bottle of water, and sat with some Baylor students under the tent. I knew I was likely sunburned and that I had worked a little too long. But I knew when to stop working to avoid heat exhaustion, and as I rested up, my brain began to work again and I really started thinking about this heat.

Two Beyond Borders Team members working underneath a burial marker to not disturb it on the ground levelI looked at my water bottle and thought about how fortunate I was that I could refill it at will.

I looked up at the canopy over my head and thought about how fortunate I was that I could easily escape the sun’s brutality.

I looked towards our rental van and thought about how fortunate I was that I could go back to our hotel and take a cold shower after our work today.

This heat is real, and every day migrants are making the extremely real decision to brave the sun and fight their way through this environment for a better life, either for themselves or for their family. Many who have perished are found with only a small water bottle. I can’t imagine walking for more than half an hour in this environment with only that much water and without a constant source of shade. As we continue to work, I will make sure to let the environment constantly remind me of the bravery of these people that we are trying to identify. Every time I refill my bottle or step in the shade, I will remind myself of how lucky and thankful I am for my accessible family, for my safety, and for my good health. And I will never underestimate the danger of this environment or the courage of the migrants who fight this danger.

Ryan