CPTnet
June 22, 2004

ARIZONA/SONORA BORDERLANDS: After NAFTA--the Migrant Trail Walk

by Cliff Kindy

In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), promised strong
economies for Mexico and the United States. It said that job opportunities
would increase after Mexico removed tariffs for incoming goods and
subsidies for local products. Corporations would cross the borders freely,
unhindered by environmental standards or trade unions.

In places like Chiapas State, low coffee and corn prices drove people off
the land. CPTers saw the price of coffee plummet from thirty pesos to eight
pesos per kilogram of coffee as the World Bank encouraged Vietnam to plant
huge plots of coffee. NAFTA forced Mexico to drop the subsidies that had
been in place for corn farmers, so Chiapaneca families could no longer sell
corn that would be competitive with US-subsidized corn. The native
population in Chiapas traveled north, with other impoverished Mexicans so
they could support their families.

 Ten years later, after the US border with Mexico was militarized to stop
the increasing flow of "illegal" immigrants, volunteer organizations working
on the border asked CPT to join them for a summer campaign to raise
immigration issues in the public consciousness. Hundreds of thousands of
men and women have left their homes in Mexico to work in the fields and
factories of the United States. In 2003, more than 200 immigrant travelers
had died crossing the borders to access jobs in the U.S. About 300,000 were
apprehended and returned to Mexico.

 By 2004, barriers constructed in San Diego and Texas and increased numbers
of border patrol personnel pushed migrants into the dangerous Sonoran
desert. Immigration politicos had erroneously assumed the dangers of this
route and collateral deaths would stop Mexicans from coming. However,
migrant support programs say that 500 travelers still cross the border south
of Tucson illegally each night.

 The Migrant Trail Walk, June 7-13, 2004 was the seventy-five mile kickoff
for the summer campaign to raise awareness of the issues facing immigrants
and people in the US. Numbering from 23-200 people on various days, the
Walk followed the desert trails from the Mexican border to Tucson,
Arizona. The walkers had water stops every one and a half miles and snack
breaks every other stop. Medical staff handled emergencies. Tents
sheltered the walkers at night. Support vehicles carried walkers afflicted
with blisters and fatigue. Still, one person each of the first three days
succumbed to heat exhaustion and had to be transported to an emergency
health center.

 Temperatures over 100 degrees make it impossible for "illegal" travelers
to carry sufficient water. The desert can be an alien, brutal place.
Walkers met travelers who asked if they were close to Los Angeles or New
York.

Steady news coverage throughout the walk placed the issues before the US
population and Hispanic public worldwide. Blisters built compassion and
understanding. The "legal" walkers did not face death, but risking the
Migrant Trails still pulled them into an entirely different level of
commitment to this cause.