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| photo:www.zimbio.com |
The day began with a visit to Wingspan, an organization that
provides services to LGBTQ immigrants. Paco Velez, the youth outreach
coordinator, is originally from Nogales and is also an artist activist who
organizes community mural projects and teaches art at a charter school.
His friend, Raul Alcatraz, is a gay identified immigrant from
Jalisco who
manages services for day laborers at the
Southside Workers Center.
Together they have seen many atrocities that the Border Patrol has inflicted on
innocent people. On one occasion, Raul laid his body underneath a border
patrol car so that they would not drive off and detain US citizens for aiding
and abetting illegals. This eye opening visit was followed by a meeting
with Juanita Molina, Executive Director of
Humane Borders an organization that
provides water stations for people crossing the desert. Statistically 67%
of the people trying to cross die of systematic causes, such as kidney or liver
failure. The day’s meeting concluded with attendance at Streamline
deportation hearings. More than 60 people, some women, young men and boys
were brought before the judge in shackles and chains. Within 30 minutes
they had all been told “you were picked up at a time and place other than
designated, do you understand the crime.” They all responded “
si” as they
had been told by their court appointed lawyers, and given 100 days in a state
funded private prison until deportation.
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