Reflection of the 2004 Border Trip

The United States-Mexico border is a region in which the “first world” and the “third world” meet.  The close proximity of these two drastically different economic conditions is truly ironic; it is difficult to accept that just a few miles determines whether a person and an entire population is able to obtain its basic needs or be deprived of them.

Each day hundreds of undocumented immigrants attempt to cross the border into the United States – some are successful while others are not.  Even with millions of dollars in increased border protection within the last ten years, the same number of immigrants continues to try to cross the border.  To me, this demonstrates the desperation of the Mexican people as well as those that travel from various parts of Central America to escape oppressive conditions within their countries in hopes of finding opportunities to improve their livelihood.  Sadly, the United States helps to support and even facilitate oppression within Mexico, especially in the US-owned maquilas.

My experience at the border has allowed me to arrive at this conclusion: In the name of justice and human dignity, the United States should allow the entry and protect the rights of the undocumented who are honest, hard-working people that just want to earn the means to survive. After all, these people are often willing to do the work that U.S. citizens are unwilling to do.

Reflection by Sarah Nezorski
Participant on the Border Trip Experience, January '05