Project San Diego returns with new insight into immigration

In San Diego, senior Ashley Twaddell met a young boy living under the care of the Southwest Keys Program, which houses unaccompanied minors until their immigration status is determined.

The boy had been picked up by Border Patrol and questioned on where he lived. He stayed silent to protect his Mexican-born siblings, who would have been deported if they were discovered.

"We don't say it's racial profiling, but it is," Twaddell said. "He got picked up on the side of the street because he didn't look like he had papers—because he looked like a Mexican kid. He's literally only a few miles from where his home is, but he has to stay separate from [his family]." The boy will be deported once the courts are finished reviewing his case.

Twenty-three Loyola students and administrators composed this year's Project Mexico team, who group spent 10-days of cultural immersion in San Diego over Christmas break. The student-faculty team saw a side to the issues of immigration unlike any other Project Mexico group has encountered before.

Twaddell, who was part of the 2009 team and returned this year as a leader, called Project San Diego a "flip-flop" of previous trips. "When we were in Mexico," she said, "we would hear stories about what happens when people try to cross the border, whereas in the U.S., we saw, firsthand, exactly what happens."

In addition to doing community building projects such as gardening, building a barn, and restoring a mural (all organized by Via International), the group spent a lot of time listening to the stories of the people who had made it across the border and now reside in the San Diego area.

Senior co-leader Daniel Koster met a man whose wife was just hours away in Los Angeles, but it was too risky for him to leave the heavily patrolled San Diego County.

"It might not be as geographically risky—like he's not going through deserts," Koster said. "But he can't just get in a bus and leave that county, he would have to actually take back routes because the border patrol kind of has it on lockdown."

Sophomore Emily Anne Palmer was particularly struck by a day laborer that was waiting outside of a Home Depot. After explaining to her that he would often arrive at 5:30 a.m. to wait for a job, he proudly flashed his visa. Palmer noticed it was his birthday; he said, without his family and a job, there was not much to celebrate.

"It kind of broke my heart because this person is here legally, and he's done everything right, and unfortunately he is unable to get a job, and if he is, it's only temporary," Palmer said.

Amidst these heartbreaking stories, debate and controversy, people and groups are working together to make the best of the situation.

John Fanestil, director of Foundation for Change, talked to Project San Diego about how the border crossings were an emigration issue rather than an immigration issue. Because so many families struggle to survive in Mexico, crossings into the safety of the U.S. are unavoidable.

The fence around the border, secured by Border Patrol, stands as the most significant obstacle to Mexican immigrants trying to enter the U.S.  Increased security over the years has made jumping the fence nearly impossible. People trying to cross now opt for a dangerous stretch of desert that claims hundreds of lives every year.

"It goes a lot deeper than the statistics you see of people crossing," Koster explained. "There's not enough concrete in the world to fence off [the border], and if 20 million people want to go somewhere, they're going to go somewhere."

Enrique Morones, of the humanitarian relief organization Border Angels, helped the group complete one service project which consisted of leaving water along the border where travelers often pass. Morones has established a relationship with Border Patrol in his efforts to save the lives of those crossing the harsh border terrain.

Morones maintains "a very good rapport with Border Patrol...because, I think, he realizes that that's in his favor," said Twaddell.

"None of the people we really met were extremists," said senior Amelia Wolf. "They saw both sides and knew that there had to be negotiations for anything to make progress."

The team's work has not stopped now that they are back at school. One of the goals of Project Mexico is to inform others about immigration, and team members will be spreading the word both individually and as a group. One plan is already in the works – a flag football event called "P-Mex Bowl" that would raise awareness and funds.

Koster plans to use his experiences to create a multi-media art project for his Active Minds fellowship. Through music, pictures, and personal stories he hopes to "initiate dialogue on our campus on immigration issues and the realities of living with post-traumatic stress as a result of border crossings and homeland conflicts."

Wolf hopes to bring what she learned from Project Mexico with her as she pursues a graduate degree in global or international affairs.

The Project San Diego team, though initially disheartened at hearing of the service trip's relocation, came together just as well as any previous project Mexico team. Kate Grubb-Clark of Student Activities was a moderator on the trip. She said that by the end of the trip the group "felt like a family.