{"id":1026,"date":"2013-03-20T20:04:08","date_gmt":"2013-03-21T03:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/?p=1026"},"modified":"2013-03-21T20:07:56","modified_gmt":"2013-03-22T03:07:56","slug":"after-winter-the-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/?p=1026","title":{"rendered":"After Winter, the Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }\n--><\/style>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Carpets of yellow and purple wildflowers color the landscape as spring envelops the Sonoran desert. I leave the windows open these mild March nights and lie awake listening to the yipping of coyotes. Three coyotes can sound like a dozen, as their howls echo and multiply up and down the canyons. I visualize little pups following coyote mothers, their high pitched yelps piercing the darkness. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1027\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/carpets-of-spring-wildflowers.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1027\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1027\" alt=\"Carpets of spring wildflowers\" src=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/carpets-of-spring-wildflowers.jpeg\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/carpets-of-spring-wildflowers.jpeg 500w, http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/carpets-of-spring-wildflowers-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1027\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carpets of spring wildflowers<\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }\n--><\/style>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Our ranch is host to open range cattle that freely wander about the countryside picking at the new clumps of green grass and tender mesquite leaves. There are babies everywhere\u2014little calves kicking up their heels and running for cover whenever I approach them on my walks. They race for their maternal protector, startled by my presence, hiding behind their mothers&#8217; bulky bodies and grabbing an udder for comfort. The baby calves bawl when frightened and separated from their mothers, racing to them for assurance and a safe harbor.\u00a0 I am always wary of mothers and babies in the desert and keep my distance.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1029\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/mother-and-child.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1029\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1029\" alt=\"Mother and child\" src=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/mother-and-child.jpeg\" width=\"500\" height=\"443\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/mother-and-child.jpeg 500w, http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/mother-and-child-300x265.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1029\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mother and child<\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }\n--><\/style>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">I think about the bonding rituals of parents and children when I visit the<em> comedor<\/em> each week. The migrants have been through so much\u2014time in detention centers, days walking in the desert, injuries sustained while hopping trains or being beaten or assaulted along the way. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">But nothing touches the deepest core feeling of pain like the separation of families. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1030\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/mother-and-child-at-the-comedor.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1030\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1030\" alt=\"Mother and child at the comedor\" src=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/mother-and-child-at-the-comedor.jpeg\" width=\"500\" height=\"441\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/mother-and-child-at-the-comedor.jpeg 500w, http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/mother-and-child-at-the-comedor-300x264.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1030\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mother and child at the <em>comedor<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }\n-\n--><\/style>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Every week I am asked the same question: \u201cCan I use your cell phone to call my family?\u201d Often my American friends ask why a mother or father would leave their children and migrate north to the U.S.\u00a0 A loving, caring family cannot flourish without economic support and a safe environment. These are the reasons that parents leave their homes and migrate north. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">I witness fathers in tears because they are afraid that their children do not remember them. Mothers express great distress about trying to maintain connections with children who are very young. I hear them talking on the phone to their children: \u201cWe will be together soon. You must be strong.\u201d Sometimes these are just dreams.\u00a0 Reunification with families are just that\u2014dreams. Still, the dreams offer hope.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1031\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/High-school-students-help-with-breakfast.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1031\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1031\" alt=\"High school students help serve breakfast\" src=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/High-school-students-help-with-breakfast.jpeg\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/High-school-students-help-with-breakfast.jpeg 500w, http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/High-school-students-help-with-breakfast-300x225.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1031\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">High school students help serve breakfast<\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }\n--><\/style>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">On a recent visit to<i> el comedor<\/i> I met a young man, a teenager, from Honduras. He approached me speaking rapid-fire Spanish with a look of panic on his face. He was separated from his brother and deported the night before; his brother and another friend are in a detention center somewhere in Arizona. The adolescent was on the verge of tears, trying very hard to control his emotions.\u00a0 His voice was cracking; his eyes were brimming.\u00a0 I directed him to Grupos Beta and No More Deaths, two agencies that assist in reuniting migrants with families and friends. During my day in Nogales I saw this teenager in various locations, and each time he approached me with that look of panic in his eyes asking for help. I cannot forget his face.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1032\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Xavier-and-Samaritan-Sharon-at-breakfast.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1032\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1032\" alt=\"Xavier and Samaritan Sharon discuss his family\" src=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Xavier-and-Samaritan-Sharon-at-breakfast.jpeg\" width=\"500\" height=\"358\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Xavier-and-Samaritan-Sharon-at-breakfast.jpeg 500w, http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Xavier-and-Samaritan-Sharon-at-breakfast-300x214.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1032\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Xavier and Samaritan Sharon discuss his family<\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }\n--><\/style>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Another woman sat eating breakfast with her three year old son, Julio. She arrived from Oaxaca after eight days of traveling and is looking for her husband. This morning she found out that her husband has been sentenced to 180 days in a detention center in Arizona. She sits staring off into space, rocking back and forth immobilized while her little boy races around the<i> comedor<\/i> with a toy car. She will stay in Nogales and try to find work. After awhile she smiles at her son as he draws and scribbles with some crayons and paper. They are together. They will get through this.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1033\" style=\"width: 470px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Julio-and-his-toy-car.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1033\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1033\" alt=\"Julio and his toy car\" src=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Julio-and-his-toy-car.jpeg\" width=\"460\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Julio-and-his-toy-car.jpeg 460w, http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Julio-and-his-toy-car-276x300.jpeg 276w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1033\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Julio and his toy car<\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }\n--><\/style>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Several months ago another little boy, age nine, told me that he plans to cross the border and go to New York, along with his sister (age 12) and aunt (age 19).\u00a0 His father, his \u201cPapa,\u201d lives in New York City and he has not seen him for three years. The Samaritans try and dissuade this vulnerable trio, telling them about the dangers of the journey\u2014the desert, the extreme temperatures, the federal agents that will look for them, and the wall. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">When I ask the boy why he wants to travel all the way to New York, he tells me, \u201c&#8230;to see my Papa. I just want to know him.\u201d\u00a0 The child breaks my heart. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">The boy draws a picture of what he has experienced these past weeks. He draws himself, a wall, mountains, and up in the corner is his Papa surrounded by tall buildings. It is New York City, and this is a great adventure. We try and call his father in New York, and cannot reach him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">I am horrified.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1034\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/bits-of-fashion-at-the-comedor.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1034\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1034\" alt=\"Bits of fashion at the comedor\" src=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/bits-of-fashion-at-the-comedor.jpeg\" width=\"500\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/bits-of-fashion-at-the-comedor.jpeg 500w, http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/bits-of-fashion-at-the-comedor-300x252.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1034\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bits of fashion at the<em> comedor<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }\n--><\/style>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">The increased militarization efforts to secure the border have made reunification with families more difficult. Migrants who cross the border into the United States without papers literally risk their lives in the desert. The dangers involved in getting here mean they are more likely to settle in the U.S. for long periods of time, if not permanently, and will not risk a visit back \u201chome\u201d to Mexico or Central America. So the militarization and increased security on the border have actually encouraged undocumented workers to stay under cover in communities in the U.S.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Family separation is becoming a norm in Latin America. When designing a compassionate comprehensive immigration policy, we must make travel back and forth from the U.S. to Mexico an easier process. The separation of families for long periods because of our immigration laws is a moral travesty. Many of the migrants I meet at the <em>comedor<\/em> whose homes are in Mexico do not want to become U.S. citizens. They want a legal path which allows them to travel back and forth across our borders, working in the U.S. for short periods, and then returning home to their villages and cities. Creating a system of guest work visas would help keep families together.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1036\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/peg-and-Scott-Ainslie-March-2013.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1036\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1036\" alt=\"Peg and Scott Ainslie, traveling troubadour\" src=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/peg-and-Scott-Ainslie-March-2013.jpeg\" width=\"490\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/peg-and-Scott-Ainslie-March-2013.jpeg 490w, http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/peg-and-Scott-Ainslie-March-2013-294x300.jpeg 294w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 490px) 100vw, 490px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1036\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peg and Scott Ainslie, traveling troubadour<\/p><\/div>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }\n--><\/style>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">What I witness at the <em>comedor<\/em> are casualties of our free trade agreements and a perverse, unworkable policy about whom we allow into this country and whom we decide to kick out. Politics and economics have separated thousands of families. Their stories need to be told.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Witnessing the pain of men, women and children separated for long periods brings up my own feelings about living far from children and grandchildren. I will call my kids tonight and listen to the stories of their day. I urge you to call your own families, and make plans for a visit soon. We all live such privileged lives. We can travel, email, Skype, and telephone loved ones when we choose. Most of us are middle-class Americans. We have the right papers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\"> We have very few human ties that touch us deeply\u2014our children, our mates, our family of origin, our dearest friends. Let us nurture those bonds with our own loved ones, and help heal the broken family ties of our neighbors to the south.<\/span><\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }\n--><\/style>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: large;\">Spring has returned. Spring brings me hope.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\nP { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }\n--><\/style>\n<p style=\"font-size: large;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\">(I will be traveling during the month of April, attending a language school in Mexico. My best wishes for a spring of hope and promise, with some precious moments with family and friends. I will resume the blog in May when I return to volunteer at the <i>comedor.)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: large;\">The<strong> Green Valley Samaritans<\/strong> have a wonderful website that describes the activities which touch the lives of migrants in the borderlands.\u00a0 Check out:\u00a0 www.gvsamaritans.org<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: large;\">The<strong> Santa Cruz Community Foundation<\/strong> (Nogales, AZ.) and its sister organization, <strong>FESAC<\/strong> (Nogales, Mexico) have a unique international partnership that identifies emerging issues and strengthens community resources to solve those issues.\u00a0 Contact Bob Phillips, Director, at (520)761-4531<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: large;\">The <strong>Kino Border Initiative<\/strong> is a binational organization that provides direct humanitarian assistance at <em>el comedor<\/em> to migrants. KBI participates in research and advocacy to transform contemporary immigration policy.\u00a0 Their website is:\u00a0 www.kinoborderinitiative.org<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: large;\">I am proud to be involved with these organizations and endorse their activities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Carpets of yellow and purple wildflowers color the landscape as spring envelops the Sonoran desert. I leave the windows open these mild March nights and lie awake listening to the yipping of coyotes. Three coyotes can sound like a dozen, as their howls echo and multiply up and down the canyons. I visualize little pups [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1026"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1063,"href":"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1026\/revisions\/1063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.arroya.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}