Borderlinks

     To me the highlight of the class was the field trip to Nogales Mexico via Borderlinks in Tucson. We met at school at 6:00 am to take a bus to Tucson. The following are a couple of highlights that I found interesting.

BORDER ACTION NETWORK formed in 1999 to protect human rights, civil rights and the Sonoran desert along the Arizona-México border. They are a grassroots, membership organization based in Tucson, Douglas and Nogales, Arizona that works with Mexican communities throughout southern Arizona and northern Sonora, México. The organization is mostly comprised of people of color, women and young people under the age of 30 who are committed to protecting our rights, dignity and healthy communities.

We were fortunate to meet and listen to a brief talk by Jen Allen, the director, of Border Action Network Organization. Her talk was informative and very powerful. Her presentation demonstrated that she is very passionate in her profession of battling vigilantes along the southern border of Arizona. Not only is her battle against the independent groups that have formed, many coming from other states, but also against mistreatment and racial profiling performed by the U.S. Border Patrol.

          The vigilante groups that have formed along the southern border are essentially white supremacist groups advocating against illegal immigration. The concern with these groups is that these are civilians carrying guns and acting as law enforcement. Many of these groups have gone to the extent of wearing hats that say “Border Patrol.” The penalty for impersonating law enforcement is up to a felony charge, depending upon the severity of the situation. The penalty for entering the United States without following proper channels is a misdemeanor. One of their efforts has been to bombard the Attorney General's office with postcards pleading for an anti-militia law to be put in place, such as the following example:

          Let’s break it down into an actual scenario. You are crossing the border illegally from México running for your life, literally, to get to the meeting place of the coyotes. You are tired, hungry and scared. All you can think of is working to send money back to México to support your family and eventually bring them to the United States. You see these Gringos approaching you with guns, you don’t speak the language so you don’t know exactly who they are. You surrender because they look like la migra,  and you can’t risk having a record, especially since you’ve been caught, it is better to go quietly because you know you have to try to cross again the next day. Unfortunately, these impersonators do not have the invaders best interest at heart. They want them out of the U.S. at any cost even if it is their life.

          For more information about the Border Action Network Organization click on the following link Border Action Network - Border Action Network Home .

Otis Elevator

The tour of Otis Elevator during our visit to Nogales, Sonora, México was extremely informative. My initial thought of visiting a factory in México was that it would be dirty, hot with no air conditioning and would be staffed primarily by women. To my surprise the Otis Elevator factory was similar to walking into a factory in the United States. This clean and modern plant appeared to have its employees interest at heart, including a cafeteria that serves three meals a day. It was clean, professional, staffed by both men and women, extremely productive and ironically contrasting the poverty of the streets of Nogales.

          Touring the factory showed the intricate work of producing elevator cabs that is performed here, from basic repetitious work to the testing of the final product.  Many of the factory workers are uneducated however, there are a few that have educational degrees and make a decent living. On average most of the workers make $9.00 a day.

          The workers employed at the factory appeared to be proud to have their jobs and took pride in their work. The workers are encouraged to take classes to move them into a higher pay scale, this advancement looked like a long a tedious road, and to me not very obtainable.

          I can understand the advantage of maintaining a factory in México the cost of labor is unbeatable. However I do have a problem with the low wage that these people are paid. How are they to maintain a household on this low pay? How are they to pay for daycare on this wage, buy groceries, pay for transportation? Unfortunately, the facade is that the employees are happy and making ends meet, but in reality they are struggling more than they will ever let on. Being a proud culture, they hold their heads high and work every day for their small salaries.

          The truth of the matter is that no one cares about these people or their poor living conditions, as long as the product is made and shipped out. Another factor is that many of these factories, maybe Otis, will be relocating their business to China and other lower, yes, lower than México, labor countries.

To learn more about Borderlinks trips click here.