The Migrants

Chelsea again! Three days down, two to go.

Today in Tijuana, we returned to the same community we visited yesterday. It was neat to see some of the same women serving us lunch both days. Esperanza allows the individual communities choose who receives help next and it is time like cooking lunch that can make a family more likely to receive help with their home. This makes the program much more meaningful because people must work together democratically to help their neighbors improve their situation in life. At the site, we did a variety of jobs. Our end goal was to prepare and level a foundation for a cement floor that we will pour on Friday. When we arrived, Rodrigo, or Rigo, instructed us to remove some of their dirt from a rectangular area blocked off by cement blocks. When we finished this task we all scratched our heads when he said to now put a different kind of dirt back into the area that we had just cleared. Not knowing anything about how a house is built or construction, we did not understand why we were doing such a strange thing but Rigo had a plan. One of the most heart wrenching thing to see was the father out there working with us all day long. He works as a security officer for a cable company at night and had only slept a few hours before joining us. Previous members of the trip said this is common, that the men of the households many times feel ashamed that we are there doing something that they should be doing for their family. This particular "hombre" had originally not allowed his wife to join the Esperanza organization because he felt it was his job to provide, despite being unable to. One thing is obvious, Mexicans of all kinds will put forth any kind of effort to better their families or help the hands who are doing it for them.

In the evening we visited Casa del Migrante. By far, this was one of the most informational and moving experiences I have had in Tijuana. This home caters to men who have been deported from the U.S. or have failed in crossing the border into the U.S. They provide services such as medical care, legal consultations, food and much more for 12 days for each migrant. We had the opportunity to learn about the organization from the site director and a long-term volunteer as well as have dinner with the migrants. It was wonderful to hear their personal stories and be able to feel for their hardships they are facing in their current situation. Most of the men we ate dinner with had been living in the U.S. for 10-30 years before being deported back to Mexico. Most of them also have families that currently still reside in the United States and have all of their lives. I learned a lot from these men but I made a personal connection with one of them that struck a personal chord with myself. This migrant had lived in the United States for 11 years with a wife, son and daughter. He was employed as a over-the-road truck driver out of Seattle. My father is also a truck driver and has been my entire life, normally working for 6 weeks at a time with breaks on the weekends. This migrant also had to spend extended periods of time away from his family in order to make more money, more miles means more pay. He made me remember how much I appreciate my father and what he does when he said, "Just remember, your father does what he does for you, to give you the best." I have been told this before but it is always great to be reminded, especially from someone from a different culture and in such a terrible situation where he will probably never see his family again. I asked him if he planned to return to the United States. Many of the migrants in this home will attempt to recross the border illegally. He said absolutely no because if he does he will be sent to jail and then there will be no hope. It was heartbreaking to see him in such a devastating situation with no family, no prospects or real plans for his unstable future. After dinner, we sat down with the director and he informed us more about the problem of migration and relations with the United States. I could write a book about what I heard here but I will end here. My visit to Casa del Migrante opened my eyes to the immigration problem and is pushing me to be a better informed citizen about it. Before I never listened when immigration was discussed in politics but now I hope to listen as well as seek out additional information for myself.


-Chelsea