I have come away a firm believer in open borders...that catch word that is being demonized and misused. What if you were not allowed to flee a burning house, or watched your children starve, or never see a child/parent/family member again? The worst most of us would have to deal with if our borders were closed would be a canceled vacation. Most of us enjoy open borders while demonizing open borders for others. Think about it. (And, besides my bleeding heart, our country would reap the benefits)

Two days ago three of us rode in the car I had rented, along a section of the wall east of Sásabe, up and down the steep hills of mountainous terrain, to a camp set up to offer water, food, and the shelter of tarps and small tents to migrants who had been led by their coyotes to a place miles and miles away from the port of entry. When we arrived, it appeared that the camp was empty.

Until we saw, huddled under a tarp, a woman and her infant son.

Monday was MLK Day so we had a variety of service actions we could participate in. I spent my morning putting together feminine hygiene kits.

We caravaned from Ajo to Why and held a protest vigil in front of the station and watched as buses left the station.

Then we caravanned down to the Lukeville port of entry. Where we saw BP processing 45 people, many with babies.

Compassionate Action to Defend the Right to Migrate

Monday, January 15, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Why Border Station (850 North Highway 85, Why, AZ)

Group of about 30 protesters from @WitnessBorder and “Eyes on BP” protesting outside of Border Patrol station in Why, Arizona today.

Photo by John Washington @jbwashing.

Sunday was the 2nd full day of presentations at the Workshop for Justice Conference.

After lunch, breakout sessions were held on Communicating Our Message Effectively.

Met up with friends coming in for the Witness at the Border: Workshop for Justice on Thursday evening and had a wonderful dinner together.

Friday morning, we went to the Welcome Quilts: Migration , Art and Hope exhibit at the Arizona History Museum.

The Workshop for Justice, Ajo, Arizona, Jan. 12-15.

“Hemispheric & Global Perspectives on Immigration”

Sarah Towle, Jennifer Babaie, Ana Sanchez-Bachman, Vielka Wambold

1ST ANNIVERSARY: JOURNEY FOR JUSTICE TO SHOW THE IMMORALITY OF THE IMMIGRATION POLICY

READ: HTTPS://TRIBUNODELPUEBLO.ORG/JOURNEY-FOR-JUSTICE/

This December marks the 1st anniversary of the Journey for Justice organized by Witness at the Border. Please take time to see and get inspired by the highlights of the group's journey of the 2200-mile U.S.-Mexico border to, as Joshua Rubin writes, “see the truth behind the border wall of lies, to look into the eyes of our sisters and brothers on the other side.

WATCH: https://youtu.be/zo0anWas5Hc?si=k0AfUjMMI-UgM_UQ

And so the old man who writes this will travel to the Workshop for Justice in Ajo AZ to ask the question of my compatriots, what will it take to turn the tide against the world's rising hatred of people who seek the mercy of acceptance.

Protect Asylum: Call Your Senators!

Witnesses Welcome Little Amal in Chicago

Belonging neither here, nor there,

Stranded at the edges.

Cannot forget my place of birth , nor accept this as home.

JOIN US for a Workshop for Justice in Ajo, Arizona in January!

Save the Dates: Workshop for Justice January 12-15, 2024.

Matamoros, Mexico, at the Rio Grande

Class lines. Racial lines. Cultural and ethnic lines. And it should come as no surprise that those are exactly the categories along which our immigration policy is drawn. And that all those lines are deeply etched into the political earth along those strong borders.

At the border, which I just left yesterday, it is quieter than usual. The thousands of people waiting for a chance to cross are being held back from presenting themselves at the ports of entry by, of all people, Mexican authorities. Uniformed functionaries stand at the foot of the bridge in Mexico to make sure that only people who have appointments through CBPOne can reach the CBP officers that stand in the middle of the arc that spans the river. The others are being prevented from even asking for a chance.

Migrant camp of Matamoros, MX. First day of many of rain. Mexico is not allowing access to the bridge for asylum seekers without CBP One appointments today, after yesterday allowing.

Standing on the Mexican side of the border, I hear a recorded voice. It comes from the American side, across the river that separates the two countries. Again and again, it says the same thing over a loudspeaker, in Spanish. My companion translates for me. The voice is saying, “Stay in Mexico. Do not cross the river.” It is the same message that Vice President Kamala Harris voiced two years ago. “Do not come,” she said, speaking from a podium during a visit to Guatemala, standing next to the President of that country. Vice President Mike Pence delivered the same message three years before that, also in Guatemala. This time, the message is being broadcast directly to the people who want to be here. Reinforcing the message are three rows of razor wire, and at the top of the riverbank, behind the wire, are Texas National Guard troops carrying rifles.