2/12/20

By Fran Schindler

Early morning on Tuesday first full day at the Border.
As I crossed alone early this morning the skies were grey and seemed to be threatening rain.
There were very few people crossing into Matamoros, however the line on the other side was quite long. I imagine people who live in Matamoros and work in Brownsville or perhaps students heading to classes. As I entered Mexico the usual armed soldier stood with his rifle surveying the crowd. The camp was quiet. Cooking fires were  burning and people were starting to wake up. I noticed the changes that had occurred since my last visit.
Tents near the bridge had been moved to a different location. There was a new line of
porta potties at this end making it more convenient for people.
I decided to walk a different way this morning as I turned the corner and said Hola to the man working on his tent he answered me in English.
What a surprise!! We immediately started a conversation.
He had been living and working in Michigan for 35 years paying his taxes raising a family. One day ICE came knocking they took him and ended up sending him back to Guerrero. His family in the USA decided they did not want to live without their father so they left US and joined him in Mexico
Today they are in the camp waiting for a court date. According to the current policies he most likely will not qualify for asylum. The fact that his children are all USCitizens May not make any difference and the entire family will end up back in Guerrero.