Similarly to yesterday we had a later start than we did the first work day. As soon as we walked out of our hotel room this morning, we were hit with a dense fog so thick we could barely see the adjacent hotel rooms. Even the entrance of the hotel wasn’t visible as we made our way to breakfast. Where we would usually discuss what ranch we were going to go to that day and the circumstances surrounding the search, we were informed of a change in our typical day. Because of the changing ranch availability, there was an opportunity to begin our day by visiting the border and searching in the afternoon. So after breakfast, we went to pick up Reed and then we began the hour and a half drive south.
As we drove, I examined the ranches we had passed on the highway for the past three days and thought about the constant barriers that exist to individuals who are trying to traverse these massive expanses of land. Because the land is mostly flat, coyotes will lead migrant groups through easily identifiable structures such as power lines, gas lines, and wind mills. On a perfectly clear day (as our trip has been thus far) being able to locate these identifiers was still extremely difficult unless you were very close and not under the brush cover. Looking out onto the highway and the ranches, where we could only see about 50 feet in front of us because of the fog, I couldn’t help but reflect on the shifting circumstances migrants face while walking. We are lucky that we have Don and Ray who know the terrain and can guide us when we feel lost (which I do most of the time) but migrants who are left behind by their group don’t have anyone to tell them what to look for. And if they cannot return to the path their group was taking, they may wonder indefinitely.
Having this on my mind when we arrived at the border provided a more introspective experience than I was expecting. Unlike last year, when we arrived there was no one at the gate. We parked and were able to walk all the way up the hill that the gate and fence sits on to look through. While we were able to see Mexico, the other side of the fence we were looking to was still US territory, with the actual border being about a mile away. As we looked, a border patrol agent started to drive towards us. We worried that we would be told to leave or questioned about why we were there, but he told us that since traffic over that area of the border had been very slow, we could walk to another gate in the distance for a chance to see the Rio Grande river. We headed to the other gate on the dirt road that runs along the fence, but we couldn’t see the river. However, we could see the incredibly tall and dense vegetation that lay on the other side of the fence.
This was the beginning of a migrants journey in the US, and seeing how hostile it is from the get go was hard to imagine. In our searches, where we are equipped for dealing with the vegetation, the heat, the vastness of the land, and the chance of changing weather conditions, migrants are not. We see the proof of their adaptability in the artifacts we find on the ranches and at the wall itself. This is another moment in our trip that I found myself affected by the evidence of trauma and resilience migrants face in their journey.
While we were at the border, we had to continue the tradition of stopping at Delia’s for fresh tamales. We needed to be back at the ranch to meet the rest of the team at noon, so with our tamales, we headed back to Falfurrias. The ranch we were going to search had hunters coming in at 3:30 pm, so as soon as we got back to Don, Ray, and Melissa, we headed out. Don brought us to an area where he had searched the base of a hill, but had not been able to check the hill itself. There had been previous recoveries to the south and to the east, so it was important to clear this middle section of land.
The terrain was immensely different from what we have covered thus far, with the landscape being hilly while still being covered in sand. The brush was dense and thorny and any flat land that we encountered was covered in dense high grass. We conducted an unsystematic search of the hill, as the vegetation was too thick to effectively get through in a line search. So today it was crucial to keep an eye on at least one member of the team while thoroughly searching. We were able to systemically line search the open areas to assess the presence of artifacts. There were a few items found along our search, proving that this had been an active pathway. We reached the time we were allotted to search this ranch, and returned to the ranch Don, Ray, Reed, and Melissa were staying on to divvy out our tamale haul and replenish our energy.
We finished searching earlier in the day, which gave us time to visit the cemetery that started it all. Sacred Heart Burial Park was the very first place UIndy was able to work at in Falfurrias. Dr. Latham showed us each place where UIndy had excavated and took the time to explain the circumstances surrounding each excavation. We started by visiting the grave of Wilmer, a migrant who was potentially identified. We put flowers on his grave and gave a moment of silence and remembrance to the individuals found in the earlier excavations. Each grave is decorated with things that that person enjoyed in life, bright and beautiful flowers, and a multitude of arches and decorations to show how loved each individual is. Even though I had visited the cemetery before, it was still an experience that elicited strong emotions in me. Knowing that UIndy was brought here because people cared so much about the migrants who died here and seeing this community that cares so much for their loved ones is beautiful and puts our shared and differing experiences into perspective.
After the visit to the cemetery, we returned to the hotel to clean up from the hot day and get ready for our evening plans. Tonight, we were able to take out Don’s drone. He taught us how to fly it and how to spot different animals in the brush using infrared vision. Bonding with the whole team, where we could share stories and discuss our lives in an informal setting was memorable and was a great bonding experience.
Today was an unexpectedly busy day. Not only were we able to search, we also went to places where we were able to reflect more on the work that we traveled here to assist with and the individuals that we are doing it for. All of our experiences from this trip and the people I have met have made this field season incredibly unique and this has been a great group of people to work with. Our experiences have been incredibly memorable so far, and I have learned a lot from them. I will carry these reflections with me as we continue into our last day and beyond as we return to Indy.
