Baby, It’s Cold Outside….pop song, Frank Loesser, 1936
I woke up last night to a surprise cold snap in the desert. The frost was indeed on the pumpkin, and it was 28 degrees this morning. My thoughts are with the migrants traveling by moonlight in the desert. I make a quick sweep of our closet and grab a fleece vest and some jackets that I rarely wear. Today I go to the comedor and I will bring these warm things to our neighbors to the south. Walking the mile across the US border to our Mexican destination, my breath is frosty and the wind stings my nose. How can anyone survive these temperatures exposed to the elements of the Sonoran desert?
Virgin in the snow
Our van arrives and there is a flurry of activity as we begin unloading the clothes, the shoes, the medical supplies. An orange cat scurries up to the car door like a greeting valet. Shura, a Samaritan veteran and founder of our activist group, leaps out and reaches into her pocket where she retrieves a can of cat food. What??!! Cat food?? It seems she has been feeding and nurturing this kitty off and on for quite a while. The cat keeps the mouse population at bay at the comedor, and actually looks quite sleek and shiny as Shura kneels on the sidewalk to feed the critter. The migrants all look on in mild astonishment. Americans are such a weird bunch.
Shura and the migrant kitty
We are surrounded by these travelers, many shivering in the cold morning air. Thankfully we have piles of jackets and blankets and clean socks. I look down at their worn huaraches and sandals, and am glad we have a good stash of tennis shoes to distribute.
And then I smell what is going on in the kitchen. My eyes tear up as I inhale the aromas. Lorena, the kitchen queen, is making salsa. Muy picante salsa. There are bushels of tomatoes and a big sack of dried red chiles. The recipe is simple: cook down the tomatoes, add the chiles, maybe a little salt and sugar, and that’s it. Throw the concoction into a blender and serve. Just watching Lorena prepare this Mexican staple warms me up. The colors, the aromas, and the heat it creates on the simple Mexican dishes will make a strong man break into a sweat.
It's salsa time
After a breakfast of fresh tortillas, eggs, beans and fresh dynamite salsa, there is much chatter and sharing of stories and trials of the day. Who needs bus tickets home, who needs shoes and socks to ward off the frigid temperatures, and who needs first aid for injuries sustained last night crossing our desert in this inclement weather? And who needs comforting as they try to cope with separation from family and friends after time in a US detention center.
Comedor clean-up
So baby, it’s cold outside. But with Lorena’s salsa, my migrant compadres will warm up from the inside out. Guaranteed. One young man sits down on the sidewalk and strokes the migrant kitty who has feasted on some pretty fancy cat food. Things are gonna be OK.
That salsa does sound delicious! Actually, the whole breakfast sounds amazing. May everyone at La Frontera stay warm and well– kitties included.
Hey Peg,
It really was cold on Tuesday and today it is raining and windy. On Friday, we found two migrants in the desert. Yolanda 22 and Julio early 20’s. They had been walking since Monday. Julio had fallen and sprained his knee and bruised his hip. Their coyote left them behind. Cold, tired and hungry they were determined to go on to Philadelphia!!!! Yolanda looked at me with tears and said “we just want to work…no mas.” With food, water, blankets, hugs and advice from our search team they began walking NE. They are young, strong and determined. Maybe they will make it. We can only hope
We wished them them buena suerte and via con dios.
Keep observing and writing…Mike
Came across 3 Immigrants today on I 19 east frontage road. Two young males and a young female. They were from Nogales area and have been traveling for several days trying to reach Phoenix to meet relatives. they were walking along the road as I approached them. They asked me for a ride to Tucson. As I started to ask them if they needed food and water? At that very moment, flashing lights appeared to be coming towards us. The Immigrants asked if I could let them in the vehicle and take them to Tucson. I told them I could not as it was against the law and the Border Patrol was fast approaching coming up the road towards us and it would not be wise to run as it might make the situation worse.The Border Patrol vehicle blocked the front of my car so I could not move away. I got out of the car and approached the two agents. They thanked me for calling them about the three Immigrants. I told them I had not called and it must have been the person in the Jeep that was parked a few hundred yards in back of me. I told the Agents that I was a Samaritan from Green Valley and had food a water if the Immigrants needed anything. He indicated they were fine and did not need anything. I was wondering if they were the three people that were discussed at our Samaritan meeting this morning. I guess I’ll never know as it all happened so very fast. The three looked very tired and confused. I pray they are safe and protected as I write this evening. I wish I had more time to find out more of their journey, and maybe get a phone number to call their family and let them know they were safe, however, time did not permit any real discussion and sharing telephone numbers for me to call. Another day in the life of our brothers and sisters searching for a better life. Maybe I will see the at the Comedor on Tues.morning????
When I look at the picture of the virgin in the snow and imagine immigrants depending
on dynamite salsa for warmth, it chills me. But there has been a glimmer of hope lately and I choose to dwell on it while I can: the first Arizona senator to ever be defeated in a recall was the one who is responsible for Senate Bill 1070, Russell Pearce. People of his church (Mormon) and the most conservative Republican district in Arizona thought he had gone too far. Jerry Lewis (really) , who defeated him, said their religion did not believe families should be separated and he said that immigrants should be treated humanely. Will a first year senator who replaces “the most powerful AZ legislature” be able to change the climate in the senate? We’ll see. But he did defeat him. I’m hopeful. It says something about the people of Arizona.