California Immigration: Day 5

 Day 5 by Jo and Kareena:

To finish off the amazing journey that we had in San Diego we were all able to have a chill yet reflective day. At the beginning of our day we met with an artist named Carlos, who is a photographer but also makes films. He was able to tell us about his family and the places that he has been through his exhibit. Carlos talked about his experience with immigration, and the future impact that we need to make as the next generation. He was able to reflect like many of the other people that we were fortunate to meet. This was something that sat with us because we were able to indulge in the beautiful photographs. After looking through the art, we were able to visit Coronado. This was an amazing beach and a flourishing town with many shops. Coronado was a great way to finish out our last day in San Diego. We were also able to learn a lot about marine life through the sting of stingray. At dinner, we were all able to have some local tacos with vibrant music. We all talked about this past week reflecting on the experiences we had and the people we met. Many of us commented on the bonding time that the group had together. We all agreed that this was an experience that was perfect for the group we had. All of us are very grateful for the access to this opportunity and we will keep this experience with us forever. To end the night we all went on a chilly beach walk to soak in the last few hours of San Diego. 

California Immigration: Day 3

 Day 3 by Julia and Lakelyn:

Today we started our journey back to san diego, but before we could head to the waves we had a few stops first. This morning, we learned about how indigenous peoples were affected by the wall. We first went to the Imperial Valley Desert Museum that was dedicated to bringing to light the culture of the Kumeyaay people. Before the wall was built, Mexican citizens came to California for church services and to do their shopping, but this became impossible to do, causing a major shift in routine. Most of the other indigenous people in the area who also relied on traveling through different biomes depending on the season could no longer do so. We found it so impactful that these people had no say in the destruction of their culture. We did learn that with the help of the museum, there has been a resurgence in Kumeyaay culture. Our next stop was a winery found along the border, which was also directly affected and influenced by the border wall. We were given a tour of the vineyard and drove along the wall that overlooked the owners property. We were given the chance to talk to the owners who shared their experiences with the border patrol, which they had good relations with. In addition they told us about how they have witnessed refugees rush through their land in hopes to make it past the border. The father recalled times when the border wall was not there and he would head across the country “lines” to have meals with friends. He shared that before, relations and sharing cultures with people from Mexico was very accessible, but now with the fence… it’s impossible. After meeting with the tour guide at the imperial valley museum as well as the winery owners, we were given two very different, yet important, perspectives of how land along the border wall has been affected. We finished the day with watching the sun set and reflecting as a group about what we learned.

California Immigration: Day 4

Day 4 by Brenna and Isa:

Today our group met with Mario Torero, a Chicano artivist (activist through art), who showed us around Chicano Park. He explained how art brought together Chicano people after the new boarder was created and how people can be Chicano regardless of what side of the boarder they live on. This was interesting because it showed a lot of unity in the community despite the boarder being a physical barrier. We also heard from a local business owner who explained the concept of gente-fication, the process of rebuilding a community based on its people and history, as opposed to gentrification where the community gets completely wiped out. This was great to hear about how the area, Barrio Logan, was able to preserve the history of the people there through art and local businesses. After we went to a mission to learn about how religion played a role in influencing indigenous people. Lastly, we went to a Mexican super market to get some fresh tortillas and ingredients to make our own tacos for dinner.

California Immigration: Day 2

Day 2 by Maria and Lakelyn:

Today Wednesday March 9th in the Immigration project we woke up in Calexico CA. We went for some breakfast and headed over to Slab city. There we talked to Diana in Salvation mountain, and she talked to us about her perspective about being close to the border and way of living. She stopped at Slab city on her way to SD and she felt a urge to stay at Slab, She taught how in Slab everyone is welcomed no matter their background. Afterwards we moved to East Jesus where we saw many different interactive art pieces. When there, we met a person named Wizard who had been living there for about 12 years. What we took away from him was acknowledging gratitude. Later on we headed back to Calexico to meet with Ismael, part of a non government organization for betterment of Calexico. We helped restock a community fridge for people to treat themselves to food for free. Next we went to meet up with Robert who told us about how it is living in a border city. He introduced us to the mayor of el Centro Tomas Olivia and the mayor of Calexico Xavier Moreno. They talked to us about the issues that have to be faced every day living so close to the border. We learned from their perspectives how they try their best to advocate for immigrants treating them humanly. We reflected on how does law apply for those who enforce the law, taking as example border patrol. We continued that conversation over dinner brought over from Mexicali with Raul, Xavier and Robert.

California Immigration: Day 1

By Tommy and Henry:

Our first full day started with breakfast in the hotel lobby, but quickly got serious as we met with agents from the Border Patrol. They explained to us what their mission is and how they conduct it while we visited their local headquarters. We were shown the rooms where they monitor the border wall cameras and watched them process new detainees and witnessed firsthand the conditions that migrants are kept in, as well as the agents’ regard (or lack thereof) for their wellbeing. After this, we visited the border wall itself and learned how migrants scale the wall and attempt to evade agents in pursuit. We were rushed into vans and driven quickly to a major vehicle crossing point and watched as agents apprehended four people crossing the border illegally. We watched the people get detained, held at gunpoint, and told to march back across the border.

Once we concluded our meeting with the border patrol agents and ate a delicious authentic Mexican lunch, we met with locals from the city of Calexico. They took us on a walking tour of the city including community growth projects such as the local branch of the University of San Diego. One of our guides was a member of the city council who was elected to replace a member arrested for corruption. They detailed the level of corruption that the city council contained and how they refuse to fix basic community issues like a lack of public bathrooms in the city. We learned about migrant farm workers and how they travel across the border early in the morning and late at night after being bussed to and from American farms. We were told that large lithium deposits had recently been found nearby and detailed the legal fight currently ensuing between large mining companies wanting to dig up sacred grounds for profit. The day concluded with a trip to In-N-Out and some fun in the pool.

California Immigration: Travel Day

Travel Day by Kareen and Jo:

Our project week journey to San Diego began in the early hours on Monday morning. Some of us were tired and others were ready to go. Once we got past TSA we struggled to find open places for food, but ultimately found a Starbucks that quenched our cravings. We began to board our first flight to Seattle. The seats were spread out, but after a long 6 hour flight we all connected back together again. We stopped for food and then headed over to our next gate for the flight to San Diego. During the layover, Boba tea was tried by many, liked by few and snacks were acquired to get through the next flight. For the second flight we all sat together as one big family. We were able to take in the amazing views of California as we began our descent to San Diego. As we got off of our second flight and landed we were met by our guide for the week who brought us Crumbl cookies to fuel the rest of our journey. To finish out our day we drove down to Cal-exico, and saw some amazing views of California with its mountainous terrain, desert features and a beautiful sunset. Once we got to our hotel, we went out to eat at a local restaurant and were able to eat their specialty quesadillas, they are different due to the way the dough is made. To end our night Tommy forgot his wallet and a kind waitress drove to give it back to him. This was a comical end to our night, but a great way to start indulging into the culture here is Southern California.