Voices from the Borderlands
| For years, NNIRR has used international human rights standards to remind governments that crossing a border without documentation or overstaying a permit does not constitute a criminal offense. Though irregular entry and stay may have once been treated as administrative violations in the U.S., the current administration and Republican governors are escalating efforts to criminalize and severely punish the cross-border movement of those without immigration documents, while tightening restrictions on those with valid immigration status including visa holders and permanent residents.
The growing influence of nationalist ideologies is reinforcing racial discrimination and xenophobia, fostering systems that will continue to persecute people of color in the borderlands. In Texas, Operation Lone Star (OLS) “spends billions of dollars to racially profile and arrest individuals who pose no threat to public safety, then forces them into a separate and unequal legal system controlled by the state,” according to the ACLU- Texas. OLS is built on racial profiling and unconstitutional policing practices, overwhelmingly prosecuting U.S. citizens—rather than migrants—for offenses such as drug-related crimes, human smuggling, and weapon charges. Since 2021, OLS has expanded well beyond the border, affecting interior cities like Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas—areas where Latinos are becoming the majority. Since its launch, over half a million people have been arrested, with over 44,000 criminal convictions. In this dispatch, created by grassroots organizers, we call attention to the growing trend of dehumanizing border enforcement practices and the thousands of people who suffer harm, die, or vanish while migrating or living on the U.S.-Mexico border. |
| Eagle Pass, TX
The border community of Eagle Pass continues to be plagued by alarming inaccuracies in data collection regarding migrant deaths on both the United States and Mexico sides of the border. Despite efforts by local advocates to document these tragedies, countless deaths go unrecorded or are misclassified, leaving families without answers and obscuring the true scale of the crisis. High-speed chases by law enforcement to catch migrants are particularly deadly, yet these incidents are frequently excluded from official migrant death counts. Similarly, deaths resulting from exposure, dehydration, or other environmental factors are underreported due to the remote and inaccessible nature of many border regions. This lack of transparency not only dishonors the lives lost but also hinders our ability to address the root causes of these preventable deaths. The mental health struggles faced by those who serve on the front lines of border enforcement, including Border Patrol agents and National Guard members, are also of concern. Studies have shown disproportionately high rates of depression, PTSD, and suicide among workers at the border, yet their stories are absent from conversations about the human cost of border policies. Every life must be accounted for, and every death documented with dignity and accuracy. Elected representatives need to advocate for comprehensive data collection, regular search operations to locate victims of exposure, and the public release of accurate statistics. These tasks are necessary to shed light on the full scope of this crisis and to push for meaningful changes in policies and practices. Join us in urging local and federal authorities to prioritize transparency and accountability. Demand that all deaths—migrant, resident, and law enforcement alike—are recorded, their causes noted, and their stories honored. No life should be forgotten. – Amerika Garcia, Border Vigil, a member of the Frontera Federation.
San Diego, CA At a recent joint press conference – along the border wall layered with concertina wire next to the San Ysidro Port of Entry of – the U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector and the Department of Defense (DOD) provided an update of their collaboration. Border Patrol Chief Jeffrey Stalnaker reported on U.S. Marine tasks, including monitoring the border areas with scopes and laying down miles of concertina wire to prevent migrant crossings and “point them to a safer entry” at the San Ysidro Port. When questioned by a reporter about methods that someone might use to safely approach the Port, Chief Stalnaker had no answer. A U.S. Marine later described the concertina wire as no more harmful than “thorns on a bush”. However, I have witnessed dozens of people suffering from deep lacerations after being ensnared in concertina wire, wounds requiring hospitalization for treatment. The increased militarization of border communities, including layering miles of c-wire, forces migrants to cross through areas of greater danger. Such was the case for two men and a woman who died from exposure in the Otay Mountain wilderness on the weekend of March 14, about 10 miles from the press conference location. Chief Stalnaker’s remarks about these deaths seemed to blame the migrants themselves when he said, “The Otay Mountain wilderness is unpredictable and unforgiving. Extreme conditions and harsh terrain can lead to injuries and death to you or your loved ones, so don’t break the law; and avoid the risk.” When questioned at the press conference about how the added enforcement infrastructure could play a role in causing migrant deaths, his response was equally concerning: “We are not the ones that coordinate their routes… I don’t know, I’m not the one that coordinates that.” Migrant injuries and deaths continue in San Diego. By closing off safe passageways and treating the borderlands like war zones, we are likely to see more people suffer. – Pedro Rios, American Friends Service Committee
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