The week in Nogales, Arizona with the UMVIM team was amazing and went by quickly. The first two days we fixed a leaky roof instead of a painting project we thought we were going to do. This was a greater priority especially with the monsoon season approaching. Wednesday and Thursday we spent with different organizations learning about the situation on both sides of the border from their various perspectives and how they help people trying to improve their lives.
The Border Community Alliance (BCA) grew out of relationships with people who want to promote binational relationships between non-profit organizations. Their mission is “to bridge the border and foster community through education, collaboration and cultural exchange.” BCA has a close relationship with FESAC, a Nogales, Mexico based community foundation. They work to meet the needs of people with various needs such as the disabled, training parents of children with behavioral challenges including autism, and helping youth in impoverished areas with their education. FESAC supports a shelter with a school, trains adults in mechanics and assists with asylum applications.
Arizona Justice for Our Neighbors (Arizona JFON) is a United Methodist immigration mission. “It welcomes immigrants by providing affordable, high-quality immigration legal services to low-income immigrants, engaging in advocacy for immigrant rights, and offering education to communities of faith and to the public about immigration.” In a presentation, the Medical Examiner for Pima County put into harsh reality the difficulties immigrants face when attempting to cross the desolate landscape of the counties. He shared the difficulty of recording findings for local jurisdictions, the differences between local agencies which report and what these statistics mean for the nation and what we hear on the news.
Friday was a day for practical experience and was a very intense day. We went on a trek into the dessert to visit a water distribution center. Operated by Humane Borders, the volunteers have water drop-off spots and cruise the border wall with water and food for migrants they meet. We met three different groups: one with 6 migrants, another with 5 ‘hawks’ (assistants for crossing), and the third group with 13 asylum seekers which included 7 children including a 13 month old. Along the way we met several other organizations serving migrants on either side of the border. Humane Borders and many other organizations provided us with hope, humanity and reassurance that there are many people not leaving their neighbors alone to struggle and fend for themselves.
Please join us on June 11, for a Lunch & Learn after worship to learn more about the trip!
Submitted by Sue Porter, member of the Nogales 2023 UMVIM team and member of First Church’s Church & Society Committee and Urban Outreach Committee.