What a strange alarm, I think as I begin to stretch. Day three had officially began and I quickly scrambled to get my things in order. And soon enough we were off as Tucson awaited. But first we made our last stop in Phoenix AZ. We had the opportunity to learn from Rekha, an immigration attorney at Phoenix Legal Action Network (PLAN). PLAN Works in solidarity with the local immigrant community to reimagine justice in Arizona. Their work supports keeping Arizonan families together, challenging and changing anti-immigrant narratives, building community power, and democratizing legal knowledge. We had the opportunity to learn converse and ask questions all over a delicious box of donuts.
After a delightful hour and some, we headed off to Tucson, but first a quick stop for lunch at In and Out! Before arriving at Borderlinks, we stopped by the Tucson Museum of Art, I was able to a see so many wonderful artists and paintings! Soon after we arrived at Border-links, where we will be staying for the rest of the week! We were welcomed by Ren, our delegation leader. They gave us a tour of the place, showed us to our room and just like that our educational journey began (officially). For the rest of the afternoon we participated in workshops, walked with a person on their journey to migrate to the U.S. and it quickly became apparent that certain people had an easier time getting to the United States than others.
When I look at the immigration system, I see it’s not broken. It’s working exactly as it’s supposed to work. Favoring some groups of people and turning its back on others. It’s not a bug; it’s a feature. The people who have money or fit a certain profile, white, are in the fast lane. But the rest are being overlooked, and just have to hope that they’re the lucky ones.
As the day wrapped up, we then had a lovely reflection led by Benji. We than had a fantastic dinner of mash potatoes, with steamed vegetables, salad and rice. We finished our night at The Red Light Lounge.
Today was filled with travel, learning, connecting, reflecting, feeling, and solidarity.
– Haniel and the Border immersion team!