Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Fences, Neighbors and Immigration

The Christian Science Monitor recently featured a story on the continuing efforts by the United States to build a wall on the border with Mexico.“Where US-Mexico Border Fence is Tall, Border Crossings Fall” talks about the Yuma corridor in Arizona where “800 people used to be apprehended trying to cross the border every day. Now, agents catch 50 people or fewer daily.”

The story reminded me of a book I recently read called, “The Devil’s Highway,” by Luis Alberto Urrea. It tells the story of 26 immigrants who attempted to cross the border near the Yuma corridor in May of 2001. The group got lost on the hike and only 12 of the men made it out alive. Urrea paints a vivid picture of the extremes people will go to for survival of their families.

Many of the men who made the attempt were coffee farmers from Veracruz, Mexico, trying to help their families. The immigrant debate is full of loaded words and rhetorical flourishes. ‘Illegal aliens,’ ‘undocumented workers,’ and many other phrases obscure the problem. They are people trying to make a living. Given viable economic alternatives at home, most people wouldn’t risk their lives.

Coffee Kids partner AUGE is working diligently to help coffee farming families create economic alternatives that can provide for a sustainable lifestyle and a higher quality of life. Check out our the latest pictures from our program trip to the area on Coffee Kids Flickr page.