Sunday, November 30, 2008

Since I've become involved in Border Beat, not only do I feel like my reporting and multimedia skills have improved, but my awareness of the border truly rose to the surface.

Although I've lived so close to Mexico my whole life here in Arizona, I never really thought much or even really cared about border issues. I entered as a staff member of the publication without a real clue about what "border issues" even were, and had little sense of whom was really affected. Putting myself out there this semester - through reporting, discussing and blogging - for the first time ever, to me the border became less of a piece of land. For the first time in my life, I look at the border as home to many.

When I think I about the border now, I think about the people I have met from Mexico. I think about those that have crossed legally or illegally, putting their lives and money on the line and those that have family on the other side, who are unable to join them in U.S.

Six months ago, when I would consider the "culture" of the border, I'd think about the small businesses, the desertous landscapes and of course the food. Now, I think about the music produced by Mexican students in Mariachi Tesoro de Tucson, who pour there hearts out through instruments... in hopes to fully express the sounds of Latin America.

As I try to consider the "issues" surrounding the border, now I can only reminisce about the hundreds that came out to protest Michael Chertoff last month at the UA, those who screamed and waived signs to tear the wall down.

I also look at the students who attend Las Artes in South Tucson, the majority of whom have Mexico in their blood and unlike me, are bilingual. Their beautiful murals spot our city, Tucson, and fully portray the beauty of Mexican art through the colors and images.

When I first started this blog, I wanted to cover health issues. I wanted to talk about all the miscellaneous health problems and agencies that affected border communities. Now, I remember the 100s of children that come to Saint Andrew's Clinic monthly from all over Mexico, for their chance to receive free health services. These children's lives are changed through therapy, surgery and even the chance to see or hear for the first time in their lives.

Border Beat was more than just a reporting class. It was a lesson in history and news, and to me, an opportunity to learn about people. I have met so many; from children to elderly, teachers to doctors, Mexican and American. In the end, I really don't beleive a border can define us, but in the case of the Border Beat class, can really bring us together.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Issues involving the U.S.-Mexico border is highly prevalent today, however most people are not as informed about them as they probably should be.

The following is a list of useful websites that summarize border issues, agencies and resources:

Border and Immigration Issues

Border Studies Program

BBC News-'Vigilantes' set for Mexico border patrol

US Embassy Mexico City

Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Border News

Sunday, November 16, 2008


The Coalición de Derechos Humanos is a human rights organization headquartered in Tucson. The agency strives to promote justice and equality for humans - U.S. citizens or not - particularly in the Southern border region of the U.S. for over 30 years. Coalition members fight discrimination and injustice among law enforcement officials and work to end the increasing militarization of the border.

Their web site is particularly interesting - with a counter of all the bodies
recovered in the Sonoran desert each year. This year the number is at about 183.

People can get involved in the coalition by volunteering or attending some of their many events which include protests, movie screenings, awareness sessions and projects. Some projects in the past have been the Migrant Trail Walk in the summer of 2008 and the Bring Down the Walll campaign, started in 2003.

My favorite way to stay active is being part of the list-serve, which informs me about upcoming events and border-related news.

Sunday, November 9, 2008


Thursday's outing to Saint Andrew's Children Clinic was quite the eye-opener, and no pun intended there.

I couldn't believe the services provided - from physical therapy, orthopedic care, audiology and optometry - the participating children were so lucky to receive this kind of medical attention.

But receiving the services isn't as easy as showing up, some families traveled from hours across Mexico, and some had to schedule their child's appointment months in advance.

Nidia Tinajero, 16, came from Hermosillo, Mexico, a three-hour drive away to receive orthopedic treatment for a rare disorder she has, Angelman Syndrome. Her mother scheduled her appointment six months in advance, a common situation the two have been in for about 10 years already, as Saint Andrew's is one of the only opportunities for Nidia to receive medical care, said her mother, Nidia Tinajero.

The volunteers that come to the clinic include doctors, University of Arizona medical students and interpreters.

Nidia has always seen the same doctor, Francisco Valencia, M.D., who works at at the Tucson Medical Center.

Unfortunately for Nidia, on Thursday she didn't come with X-rays, so her and Tinajero had to go to a local hospital to obtain them, and bring them back later in the afternoon to receive the services.

The clinic's busiest times occurred before noon Thursday, and things started to slow down afterwards. For families that couldn't get an appointment, there is always next month, on the first thursday.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Here in the U.S., getting medical services can be inconvenient, unpleasant and expensive. For some however, traveling across the border for attention is worth the drive.

"I got my teeth cleaned for $30," said Nogales native Zelida Hernandez, who goes back home from Tucson to receive dental work annually.

And $30 is quite a steal, some might agree. Especially for Shantel Spencer's cousins, who have gotten all of their braces and miscellaneous dental work done for free on the Navajo reservation in Gallup, NM.

Spencer says that all health care is inexpensive on reservations, because of treaty agreements through the U.S. government.

"It's an obligation of the government to provide health care to Navajo people," she said.

Though it might not be the most, "quality," health care, Spencer said, it's still readily available when needed.

As a kid Spencer's family had to rely on Indian health care because her family didn't have medical insurance. One time she remembers waiting for six hours in the reservations emergency room and almost fainting.

"They want to give residents quality medical attention, but it's hard sometimes because there aren't enough doctors," she said.

Perlita Rojas also travels back to her home in Nogales for doctor's appointments to save money. It might take 45 minutes to get there, but she can't resist saving the money, she said.

In Mexico, Rojas said, every resident has access to the universal health care plan.

U.S. citizens can benefit from health care on the border, and though they may not receive the deal that Mexico citizens do, the prices are substantially cheaper, and many offices even accept U.S. insurance.

"And the health care is high-quality and abundant in Nogales," Hernandez said, "I am lucky to be able to receive it."

Monday, October 27, 2008

People living in border communities may not know about the Border Health Foundation, 3365 N. Campbell Ave.

They focus to educate and help "at-risk", low-income communities around the U.S., particularly neighborhoods on our U.S.-Mexico borders.

The staff at the organization especially strive to inform residents on abstinence, tobacco awareness, HIV prevention and proper diet through different programs:

Their Copper Basin Food Pantry serves over 14,000 people annually and provides food, financial assistance and nutrition classes to people in need of these services.

¡Tu Puedes! Prevention Program is designed to educate people ages 18 to 24 years old on tobacco awareness and prevention through communal activities, projects and support groups.

The Senderos Project (Abstinence Education) delivers information to migrant families and parents by looking at cultural and language factors. The adolescents targeted are between 12 and 18 years old. Information sessions are held in schools, churches, day camps and implemented through school curriculum.
Besides having an emphasis on the Latino population, the foundation also reaches out to Native Americans, African Americans, Pacific Islanders and Asian Pacific Islanders.
What is the thing called health? Simply a state in which the individual happens transiently to be perfectly adapted to his environment. Obviously, such states cannot be common, for the environment is in constant flux.
~ -H. L. Mencken

Sunday, October 19, 2008

According to medical examiner reports from Pima, Yuma and Cochise County, 183 bodies have been recovered on the Arizona-Sonora border from Oct. 1, 2007 to Sept. 31, 2008. One hundred and eight of these bodies were unidentified.

These people are believed to have been from Mexico and as far away as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Peru.

Last year's total, according to spokespeople from Coalición de Derechos Humanos, was 237. The number this year is lower, but, "factors do not clearly indicate that this is a total decline in the overall deaths on the border... as the numbers of bodies recovered in neighboring states are not available."

The Binational Migration Institute suggests that the "Funnel Effect," is a reason patterns of flow regarding migration are changing.

The Funnel Effect - implemented in the mid-90s - is a “prevention through
deterrence” approach to immigration control, according to an Immigration Policy Brief from the American Immigration Law Foundation.

The Funnel Effect has resulted in:

- "Militarization" of the border
- New border barriers
- Reinforce checkpoints and more techincal forms of surveillance
- Implementation of thousands additional Border Patrol agents

Kat Rodriquez, coordinator of Derechos Humanos discussed in a press release her feelings about border deaths as they are related to the above issues:

"What we are seeing with these tragic annual figures are the direct effects of border militarization and immigration policies. As more and more of these men, women and children are out there for a long periods of time before being found, their families must continue to suffer the pain of not knowing what has become of their loved one."
Of the final body count, according to the immigration report, 59 percent were unidentifiable. This could be because not enough of the body was recovered or other barriers that inhibited DNA testing.