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Enigma

Human Rights, Migrant Death, Reflections

After our last day, Eddie asked all of us what we had learned this trip. While a valid question, all of us found ourselves unable to formulate answers. This isn’t because we didn’t learn anything, but because what we have learned is hard to articulate. The things we have learned will stay with us well past our flight home, and well into our professional careers.

But I can say: I have learned that any person who choses to cross the border is braver than I am. There is no way I could survive crossing. I had a hard time making it through three hours in the brush, let alone three months. Seeing the strength in Byron and hearing his story was incredibly eye-opening.

I have learned that Falfurrias is the most enigmatic place I have ever encountered. The few days before we leave, I don’t want to leave the comfort of my home. I know what lies ahead: hard work, foreign beds, and emotionally draining situations. When we are there and working, I am counting down the days until I can return to the comfort of my home. Then, the last day, I cannot imagine leaving, going back to the comfort of my home, away from the hard work, foreign beds, and emotionally draining situations.

In Falfurrias, we have a purpose. We wake up every morning after debriefing the night before with a plan in our head. Even though the work we do is difficult, we are working towards something. In Indiana, we are always working — on cases, on lab upkeep, on school work. But after being in Falfurrias and interacting with the community, our works seems so privileged. It’s still important work, but it is privileged work. Even our work at Sacred Heart is privileged compared to everything those who are working to aid in the border crisis do every day.

I am so thankful that those who dedicate their life to the border crisis allow us, season after season, to come back and help them as much as we can. I am even more thankful that they are dedicating their lives to this crisis.

I am so thankful for Eddie, Arianna, and Selina of the South Texas Human Rights Center.

I am so thankful for Deputy Don White.

I am thankful for my team, for the opportunities I have been given, and for the conversations had.

I will continue to be thankful, and I will continue to learn and reflect.

 

— Sidney

Home Again

Reflections

Going to Texas, I knew we would all encounter new experiences. I thought the hardest part of our trip would be navigating the terrain, but this was not the case. From filling the water stations to conducting searches, this trip opened my eyes to how devastating life as a migrant can be. If I could summarize what I learned in one sentence I would say our trip taught me about the power of perseverance. Both the perseverance of migrants to escape life-threatening countries or situations, as well of that of the many people who dedicate their lives to helping them. Many of the 40 water stations we serviced had been used. Some contained empty water bottles, while others contained no water at all. When you fill water stations, you are out on the road doing a necessary job. The magnitude of this work didn’t hit me until we begun our searches and walked in the footpaths of migrants. Those empty water stations represent migrants who are not ill due to dehydration; they represent effective life saving efforts.

Team members filling a water station
Our team refilling a water station

As I mentioned, the work we were doing didn’t really hit me until we began our searches. Shortly after we began our first day of searches, the personal effects of individuals surrounded us. As we willingly tracked through the brush, trees, spider webs, and all sorts of organisms I contemplated the fact that this was not a choice for migrants. They don’t have the freedom to get into a vehicle when they’re dehydrated or tired. Walking in the brush is difficult, coupled with the heat and a long journey can make the task nearly impossible. Yet, thousands of migrants walk through the brush everyday.

Deputy White and I during one of our search days.
Deputy White and I during one of our search days

Another impactful aspect of our trip was the people. Each person we met was optimistic, dedicated, and diligent in their effort to aid in this humanitarian crisis. Getting to know Deputy Don White, Eddie, Arianna, Selina, and Byron was one of my favorite parts of this trip. They are all such wonderful, caring people. I’m honored to have been able to spend time with each of them and learn about their stories and what they do in Brooks county.

Our last meal before goodbyes
Our last meal before goodbyes

Since coming home, I’ve had a lot of time to ruminate over our trip. As students, we learned a lot in terms of conducting searches and practicing anthropology in a field setting. As people, we learned about human will and perseverance. At the beginning of our trip, I wrote that I believed this trip would be life changing. Not only did this trip live up my initial expectation, but it did so in such a way that I never believed possible. I am incredibly grateful to everyone involved and the South Texas Human Rights Center for allowing us to tag along and learn from them. I will never forget the people we met, the places we ventured, or the experiences we had while walking in the footprints of migrants.

Holley

Unforgettable In Every Way

Reflections

The week that I was fortunate enough to spend in Falfurrias is one that I will never ever forget. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned in such a short time from improving my skills in the field with search and recovery to learning and trying to understand all of the behind the scenes work that Arianna, Selina and Eddie do at the South Texas Human Rights Center. Although there were some hardships along the way, I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

The team outside the South Texas Human Rights Center

At the start of this trip, I knew that we would be working hard every day and that we would be battling the Texas environment (heat, humidity, and all of the little creatures), but I didn’t know that I would leave Falfurrias missing every single person that I got to personally meet and get to know. I was never prepared for the impact it would all have on me and I don’t think it has even all sunk in yet. Getting to know Deputy Don White, Selina, Arianna, Eddie and Byron was the absolute highlight of my trip. They’re all such an inspiration and I’m so proud and thankful to be able to have participated in their mission.

day-5

Taking part in refilling and repairing water stations along the various roads, highways and ranches gave me a glimpse into how far and widespread migrants can find themselves in Brooks County. There were very few water stations that we didn’t have to replenish which, when I sit and reflect on that fact, shows how important the work done by the South Texas Human Rights center is; yet, it’s heartbreaking to know that individuals crossing the border are constantly running out of water in a state with a heat so unforgiving. The search and recovery operations were also a reinforcement of this thought.

The team filling a water station

There is no comfortable path to take when you find yourself walking through the ranches of Brooks County. Being on these ranches and following the same paths of migrants crossing the border was exhausting, and we only did it for a few hours a few days. Experiencing Deputy Don White’s dedication firsthand was one of the things that kept me motivated to continue forward. On our second to last search and recovery day, while we waited to be picked up by Eddie in the truck, Deputy White proceeded to tell us how proud he was of us and that he couldn’t do it without us when, in reality, it’s the other way around. Coming from someone who spends countless days and all of his energy doing what we did for just three days, it really meant the world.

There were a lot of impactful moments on this trip for me, but it wasn’t until our last day in Falfurrias when Byron offered some insight into his own experiences crossing the border that I came to realize just how much sacrifice is involved in the decision to come to the US. Thousands of dollars, two and a half months of physical and emotional exhaustion, the fear of getting detained, and the knowledge that you may never be able to return home and see some of your own family members ever again. This is something unimaginable for me. Yet, as we said our goodbyes at Jalisco, Byron proceeded to hug every one of the Beyond Borders team and enthusiastically thank us for our work. Knowing that we had a positive and significant impact on someone who has experienced the hardships of being a migrant crossing the border makes everything worthwhile.

Group dinner

There aren’t enough words in the world to express how grateful I am to everyone involved in giving me such an amazing opportunity and experience.

~Alba