Today, we saw the end of the border. This experience made me more aware of the humanitarian crisis that many migrants are facing. People migrate for various reasons, including lack of resources, domestic violence, and threats to their lives. However, this crisis has often been unrecognized due to the presence of a negative culture that portrays them as criminals. I became aware of the presence of this culture, as I saw that significant investments have been made in surveillance technology and border expansion, but not so much into organizations that help migrants, such as Samaritan.
During our trip, we also visited Las Milpitas Community Farm, where we heard the story of a Mexican migrant. Her story highlighted the discrimination that migrants often face in public spaces, including in healthcare services. Obtaining good quality healthcare is very important for migrants because their lack of accessibility of resources through their way to their destination countries, negatively affects their physical and mental state. One thing that has affected their mental state is their lack of documentation because it makes them constantly fear being deported. This negatively affects their ability to build relationships because they feel obligated to hide their identities. Listening to her story, also made me aware of additional struggles that migrants might face. One of her children has autism, and has been told that it is very necessary for them to socialize. This incentivized her to be involved in her community. She has not only worked at this community farm, but also has worked at ensuring that migrants know their rights. This made me realize that the negative culture towards migrants prevent migrants from being seen as contributors.