If any of our readers are interested in learning more about the challenges faced by the families of the missing and the people who work collaboratively towards locating, finding and identifying individuals who has perished in the Texas borderlands, we recommend the documentary Missing in Brooks County.
“Two families search for their loved ones who went missing in the fields of Brooks County, Texas after crossing from Mexico and find a sobering truth: the deadliest part of the journey is far from the border. “
PBS broadcast premier on January 31, 2022, or visit their site for updated information on upcoming screenings.
In ancient Chinese philosophy, Yin and Yang describes how obviously opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. I prepared my team for the different approaches taken by the different teams we would encounter on the border. They have different ways of achieving the common proximate goal of saving lives. But during my decade of work in the Texas Borderlands I never head it said so deliberately so many times — there is a human rights side and a law enforcement side. While these sides do not always agree on the best path, they do agree on the ultimate outcome of dignity in life and dignity in death. The Beyond Borders Team assists organizations in both the Yin and the Yang when we are in South Texas. We respect and appreciate anyone who volunteers their time to this work. It’s physically and emotionally exhausting. Everyone we have met has invested a lot of their own time and money into preventing deaths and identifying the dead. So the paths and ultimate long term goals might be different, but these forces need each other as they search the brush and work to save lives. Just as the night needs the day, big is only meaningful when compared to small, and order is meaningless without disorder.
Some of the Yin and the Yang of Humanitarian Work in the Texas Borderlands
Most of the year I am geographically removed from an issue I care deeply about. Therefore, my role is less applied to searching the brush and recovering the dead and more dedicated to providing opportunities for the next generation to tackle issues of social justice and global citizenship. While this generation of young people is much more tolerant different races and cultures, they are also tend to be more isolated due to internet and social media technologies. Teaching empathy in a way that literally places you in the shoes and pathway of another, teaching awareness of global issues that dehumanizes and marginalizes others and how that impacts us all, teaching how every person is connected to every other person on this planet and teaching how action can come in big and small packages while all having the same impact are not things that come just from reading a book. I have to remind myself that these issues stretch longer and deeper than Brooks County and there are many ways we can all contribute to positive change. The 26 current members and alums of the Beyond Borders Team are out there making a difference in their local and global communities. They are continuing the work to bring awareness and understanding of the connections we all share in the wider world and using that worldmindedness to advocate for basic human rights.
I’m so proud of the team members from this trip for many reasons! Not only are they knowledgeable in the practical applications of forensic casework but they also grew in their skills, their awareness, their motivation and their aspirations while in the Texas Borderlands. At the same time their humor, care for each other and support all contributed to their success in the field. We worked hard and covered a lot of ground while we were there. Their experiences will motivate them to stand up for human rights and work for change long after they physically leave the borderlands.
That branch is higher off the ground than it looks! Jan 2022 Beyond Borders Team
I also need to mention that our team is so grateful to our supporters: the University of Indianapolis President & Provost provide financial support, our donors to the Beyond Borders Team, our families, our colleagues in south Texas who not only do this on a regular basis but changed their schedules to host us and a special thanks to all of you that have read and shared the blog ! I hope you know how much of an impact you have on so many people! Thank you!
I cannot stop thinking about my time in Texas particularly because my closest friends and family keep asking how the trip went. They gave me shocked faces as I described how we searched 3-5 miles a day through thick brush, dodging cacti thorns. They were unsettled when I talked about the amount of anxiety I held walking through tall grasses because of the rattlesnakes. They were mortified when I mentioned the stampede of javelina pigs that passed us or how we could hear the howling of coyotes some afternoons. I cannot emphasize enough how it really feels like everything in Texas is trying to kill you.
At the same time the Texas terrain holds so much beauty and wonders. I have never seen so many butterflies in my lifetime and stumbling upon a leaf cutter ant highway was so neat. Everyone kept making fun of me because I would get so excited ANY time we would encounter cows, calves and deer. I admired all the parts of nature that I do not encounter all the time and it was awesome to have Don there to teach us more about the terrain
Very judgey cows wondering what we’re doing
Words cannot describe how grateful I am to have been a part of such a unique, life changing experience. I am so sad that this is my last time writing a blog post for the beyond borders team because I graduate in May. I have learned so much and I leave with lots of great memories. I am so proud of the team I got to work with. It was empowering to see how much we progressed throughout the week. Every day (sung to the tune of Buddy Holly) we got better when it came to staying in line and maintaining the same pace while we searched. There were times were we would engage in unspoken communication, signifying just how strong the team was.
(Favorite team pic)
I am grateful to have crossed paths with individuals that have dedicated a big portion of their lives to make change and advocate for human rights. One of my favorite parts was getting to hear everyone’s backstories and learning about how they ended up choosing to participate in humanitarian work. For the most part they described it as difficult but rewarding work. I leave this trip with so much inspiration. Inspiration to continue to be involved in any way I can by simply bringing awareness to the issue at large.
(Encouraging message underneath water station lid)(Eddie + Olivia + Alex + Tanya)
