CPTnet
21 May 2005
ARIZONA/SONORA: Skating on thin ice
On Tuesday afternoon, 17 May, CPT's Arizona team was driving from Douglas
to the north. Our destination was the Ruckers Canyon area, where a
migrant, Alejandro Machada, died as he was making his way north looking for
work. In 2004, there were 231 migrant deaths recorded in the Arizona
desert. CPT is working with other groups to draw attention to this tragedy
and to the failed US immigration policy that feeds it. About ten million
undocumented people are already in the US, most of them working in jobs U.S.
citizens no longer want.
As we approached the crest of a hill, we saw three men standing under a
small tree. We stopped the van and learned that they had lost their way and
were out of food and water. They had decided to turn back and go to Agua
Prieta, across the border from Douglas.
We agreed to give them a ride back. And, when we explained that we were on
our way to a vigil to remember a person who had died in the desert, they
eagerly agreed to join us. As we drove on, we shared our food and water
with them.
When we arrived at the site, we stopped and made preparations for the
Memorial Service. With the help of the three hitchhikers, we found some
dead branches and fashioned a cross. We gathered some large stones and
placed them around the cross to hold it up, and added a flowering thistle
for beauty.
We were getting ready to start the service when we heard a vehicle
approaching and saw the Border Patrol. An officer stopped his car and
surveyed the scene.
"What's going on here?" he asked. Quickly catching his breath a CPTer
replied. "We are having a vigil for a person who died at this spot." The
Border Patrol officer then asked, "Are those three men with you?" With only
a moment's hesitation the CPTer responded, "Yes they are."
We invited the Border Patrol officer to join us at the Memorial Service. He
declined and drove slowly down the road. We breathed a sigh of relief.
We proceeded with the service, reading the names of other migrants who had
died in the desert in addition to Alejandro. After each name, we responded
with "Presente." Together we said the Lord's Prayer--each in his/her own
language and left a gallon of water for anyone who might pass this way.
U.S. citizens aiding "illegal aliens" is a primary concern in U.S.
immigration policy along its border with Mexico. We prefer to think of
ourselves as followers of Christ who wish to be Good Samaritans--giving food
and drink to those who were hungry and thirsty and delivering them home.
Yes, sometimes it does feel like we are skating on thin ice but that is
always a cooling thought in the desert.
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Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative of the historic peace churches
(Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and Quakers) with support and
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Supporting violence-reduction efforts around the world is its mandate.
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