Each time the Beyond Borders Team travels to the Texas Borderlands I ask each team member to provide a few sentences describing an important applied skill they learned in the field —
Izzy: “Your team is a vital part of a good search. Being able to communicate effectively allows searches to be more efficient and keeps morale high throughout physically and mentally exhausting days. Having an encouraging and supportive team makes you want to work harder and help each other every step of the way.”
Izzy searching the brush
Olivia: “This trip taught me a lot about working with a team. Communication is vital, and having a team full of people who genuinely like each other’s company makes the work more enjoyable. I also learned it’s possible for people with very different backgrounds and outlooks on life to put aside their differences and work towards a common goal.”
Olivia searching the brush
Tanya: “I have learned that it truly takes a “village”, not one person can try to tackle the humanitarian crisis occurring at the US/MX border. It takes several individuals and agencies to work together in order to reach the same goal of preventing migrant death by advocating for policy change, refilling water stations or rescuing those who may be in distress. At the end of the day it did not matter what kind of background we came from or what religious/political views we may hold, everyone made a conscious choice to show up and do the work!”
Tanya in a line search
Alex: “Our motto for this Beyond Borders trip was expect the unexpected. During our time out in the field, we certainly had several instances were things didn’t go according to plan. However, our team’s preparation, adaptability, and effective communication allowed us to overcome adversity and accomplish our goals.”
Today the team traveled back to Indiana to prepare for the new semester staring next week. We did some sight seeing in San Antonio on the way to the airport. It was a day of reflection and decompression. We will continue to post daily updates over the next week as we reflect back on our time in Brooks County.
Learning some Texas history at the AlamoExploring the River WalkSan Antonio airportOrgan Attack card game to pass the time
Today was our team’s last day in the field. Despite sore legs and wandering minds, we were eager to get it started. Our schedule for the day consisted of working on water stations in the morning with Eddie followed by searching a new ranch site in the afternoon with Don. At around 8am, we pulled up to the South Texas Human Rights Center (STHRC) where we were greeted by the sweet aroma of Eddie cooking up some of his world-famous menudo for breakfast. For those who don’t know, menudo is a traditional Mexican soup made with cow’s stomach lining (panza) and oxtail in a savory broth and red chili pepper base. According to Eddie, menudo is the best hangover cure! It was my first-time trying the dish and I was slightly hesitant but to my own surprise I really enjoyed it. If anyone is interested in his recipe, feel free to contact me (just kidding, it’s a secret!)
Menudo, Breakfast of Champions!Enjoying the Menudo!
Before leaving the STHRC, we had an early birthday celebration for Eddie who will be turning 74 tomorrow (well technically today since the post is on 1/12). Please send Eddie your birthday wishes! He also wanted me pass along that he is currently in market for a new truck. On to water station duty…
I had the honor of riding with Eddie as we headed to work on water stations. During our drive, I got a comprehensive introduction into the layout of South Texas and the different landmarks migrants will regularly follow during their trek across them. One interesting tidbit he mentioned was how the expansion of power and gas lines at these ranches have been a valuable guide for migrants in the past few years. In addition, a recently developed water tank (tangue) on this ranch has greatly increased migrant traffic. Overall, our team refilled a total of eight water stations today along with the construction of a brand new one. While refilling water stations was a simple task, it was humbling and gratifying feeling to know that this could potentially help save someone’s life.
The UIndy Beyond Borders team refilling a water station; typically, each water station holds between 6 – 8 jugs at a time; The design of the water station has been modified over the years.
At around noon, we unfortunately had to say our final farewell to Eddie. Over the course of just a few days, I have learned so much from him. In particular, making changes in immigration policy requires knowing your community and engaging with it regularly. Furthermore, pushing with a smile is a valuable part of humanitarian work. I hope to be given the opportunity over the summer to further develop our relationship.
Ready to search.
Following water stations, we reconnected with Don and began our final search efforts. The ranch site we were searching today was one in which a migrant was left in the brush in November. GPS coordinates of the individual’s last location were called in, which gave us a starting point for where to begin. A big positive as we began our search was that the weather was finally sunny unlike the previous days. However, the ranch environment was much different requiring our team to navigate through some undulated terrain with very thick grass and prickly bushes going up to our shoulders (Tip: Avoid pencil cactus at all cost!). The harsh conditions resulted in some moderate scratches and maybe a fall or two (we won’t mention names) but fortunately everyone was okay. Over the course of the next several hours, we found numerous signs of migrant activity including shoe treads, backpacks, and clothes. Don pointed out to us that the shoe footprints were quite new (possibly from last night). In the end, we didn’t find anything more than that. A major takeaway from this experience was that even with exact coordinates of a migrant’s location, there are many internal and external factors that can influence a successful search and recovery. The unpredictability that is associated with this process is a very sobering realization.
Tread marks from boots; possible recent migrant activity
After a long week of searching, we enjoyed some glass bottle Coca Cola and Topo Chico to quench are thirst. Overall, my time in Texas was one filled with lots of learning, laughs, heartfelt moments, and new friendships. The idea that we are leaving Falfurrias tomorrow leaves a bittersweet taste in my mouth. It went by too fast, and I feel like there is so much more I can learn and help with.
High five! Olivia examining a backpack found in the brush
Author Note: The blog post title is related to our favorite field song of the day. We would like to shout out Brooks County Sheriff Don White for putting up with us in the field. Thank you for all that you do! Your awesome sauce!
