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“Casa del Migrantes impacted my choice on the border issue a lot. When I spoke with a man named Juan who was recently deported, it brought a lot of emotions out on the table. Juan told me a story of how he had been caught for his third time… He explained in detail of how, when crossing for the second time, he got caught. There were about 15 people in the van with him… When the Border Patrol stopped the van, they specifically asked him if he knew who the coyote was. Since Juan was loyal to the coyote, he decided not to tell… They physically abused him over and over again to get out another answer…”-Andria G.

Highlights from our trip:

Casa del Migrantes At the Casa Del Migrantes in Tijuana, Mexico, migrants can find a bed and three meals a day in their journey toward or away from the United States. The Casa Del Migrantes provides living situations for 180 men for various periods of time. The people who stay at the Casa Del Migrantes receive clothes and footwear, basic medical service along with food and a place to stay. These people also receive advising in the matter of human rights: informational talks are provided with directions in this field, the migrants are identified whose rights have been violated and they are canalized to the corresponding authorities. Lazaro Cardenas School and San Ysidro High School During the trip we visited the Lazaro Cardenas School in Tijuana and San Ysidro High School to compare the lives of the students in these varying areas. San Ysidro High School is located on the California and had more opportunities available to them. 98% of the students are either Mexican or Mexican American. U.S. Border Patrol The U.S. Border Patrol exists under the Department of Homeland Security. The organization is responsible for patrolling and controlling the borders between the United States and other countries. The mission of Border Patrol agents is the detection and prevention of the illegal entry of aliens and smuggling of illegal contraband into the United States anywhere other than a designated port-of-entry, the dawn of the age of terrorism within our nation has added a new and high priority mission: to detect and prevent the entry of terrorists and their weapons into the United States. While at the Border Patrol station in San Diego we talked with Officer Foreman. We were shown a brief video about their job in patrolling the border. While speaking to officer foreman of Border Patrol he said that he was just doing his job and had no real opinion on the U.S. immigration policy. Maclovio Rojas Maclovio Rojas is one of the many self sustaining communities that exit throughout Mexico. In the Maclovio Rojas community they built there own church, school, community center and more. Many of the members of the community have or had worked in Maquiladoras. To purchase a container of water for family members in the community cost about 15 dollars as a result of their political problems. While in this community we assisted with various community service projects such as the cleaning up of a park and the painting of a fence that surrounded a school. May Day Throughout the May Day Protest the people who attended displayed signs of optimism saying phrases such as “Si Se Puede” meaning it can be done. The power of May Day has dwindled a lot in comparison to last year which people who were at the protest attributed to fear of deportation ass result of the recent raids and the ear people had of losing their job for attending this day. Last year the May Day protest knocked down several forms of immigration policy that could have been passed by congress. May Day unifies worker, immigrant and native born, to stop work and urges high school and college students to boycott school on May 1^st. On various scales the most of the people who are involved in this day want legalization, end to criminalization of workers, human rights for all, no militarization of the border, and equal rights and jobs for all. May Day occurs all across the world such as England, France, and India. May Day is a socialist and labor movement celebration conducted throughout the world. May Day is also referred to as International Workers’ Day or Labour Day. The roots of May Day are in Chicago. May Day is used as a way to commemorate the Haymarket Martyrs who were arrested after the Haymarket Riot of 1866 in Chicago. This occurred on May 4^th after the initiation of labor protest that had started on May 1^st 1866.

A Closer Look Click on the bolded links below Immigration Policy: - NAFTA - Colonia Chilpancingo Class Work - Final immigration papers - Class debate Highlights from the Trip - Casa del Migrantes - Other high schools - U.S. Border Patrol - Maclovia Rojas - May Day Expressions - Chicano park - A student’s poem More Information - Helpful links