Just Back from the Border…What the Borderlands Teach us about Solutions

I’ve just returned from a trip to our southern border with Mexico, visiting the sister cities of El Paso and Juarez, which I went to with the intention of learning about the current situation.

I did not journey alone - I went with 16 women of faith who also wanted to understand first-hand how to learn about, care for and love their “neighbors,” as they have read about in their scriptures.

While there, we visited shelters on both sides of the border and meet migrants seeking entrance to the U.S. We heard stories, mostly filled with pain and violence, of young mothers, children and families who were so desperate to leave their countries that they made the difficult and dangerous journey to the northern border of Mexico. We also heard of the incredible altruism of the shelter directors and staff but that many worried they could not sustain this level of care at such high capacity for much longer, so much of it philanthropically supported. Many attested to more resources needed to ensure these shelters can carry the weight for the cities receiving newcomers while maintaining quality of care for the individuals arriving.

We also met with active-duty CBP officers that shared what they encounter each day. They told us that while they are trained and hired to protect the U.S. from the treats of terrorists, they are actually operating in a what they referred to as a ‘humanitarian season.’ Meaning, they are encountering migrants fleeing violence and seeking safety in the U.S. who are not a danger to the U.S. but they in fact are in danger. Also, they noted that a large portion of their staff, hired to patrol borderland sectors, are working in shelters ensuring migrants’ needs are met. This led them to share that they are concerned for their significant staffing shortages and that they also needed more technology and infrastructure support to ensure apprehension and processing of migrants in a timely fashion. They also pointed out that they have never found themselves in danger nor have they encountered armed or combative migrants, including one officer that has served for 17 years.

Hearing these stories with the women of faith I journeyed alongside, I realized that so much of what is being reported in the media doesn’t present the entirety of the context. They women kept asking to see the same images presented in the media - the encampments they see on TV or places where the border has been compromised and many migrants are flowing into the U.S. They were continuously met with confusion from those living and working in the borderlands who don’t understand where those images or stories originate. It certainly was a stark difference to heavily fortified and patrolled areas we toured, without a migrant in site. These women left the trip with a better understanding of who is coming, why, and what the borderlands truly look and feel like, committed to tell a more accurate story when they return home to their churches and communities. ??

Key Take-Aways

-????????? Resources are needed to sustain the humanitarian response demand. While we hear much about border infrastructure needs, it’s truly the humanitarian one that is under-resourced and stretched beyond capacity.

-????????? Border technology and personnel needs to be better resourced to meet the demands for deterrence and processing.

-????????? Department of Homeland Security’s CBP One App needs more resources to do a better job of processing newcomers more quickly. Many newcomers are waiting months, a long as 8-10 upon what I heard from individuals in shelters in Mexico.

-????????? People are desperate and seeking safety. Unfortunately, I did not hear one story that didn’t involve pain – individuals fleeing a homeland to protect self or family, and often meeting danger along the journey.

-????????? Women of faith are leading their communities in responding to the needs of those seeking refuge and those receiving them. Many of these women are leading educational and service opportunities to ensure newcomers are supported as they are received. We have an opportunity to offer creative solutions to meet this unprecedented time for our global society.

Solutions

In light of all that we continue to learn of the current context, last week along with key partners at Niskanen Center, Hispanic Leadership Fund, Mormon Women for Ethical Government,?State Business Executives, Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and Border Perspective (all of which are members of the?Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus.), we offered a Border Framework to ensure Congress has viable, pragmatic solutions when they take up border legislation negotiations again.

This framework offers the following solutions:

-????????? Asylum – Modernize the United States asylum process by creating a specialized corps of asylum officers with the authority to adjudicate most claims at the border within 45-60 days.

-????????? Personnel, Technology, & Operations – Provide the personnel and resources to adequately secure U.S. borders.

-????????? Fentanyl and Illicit Substance Interdiction – Support investments in programs and technology to stop the flow of fentanyl and other illicit substances into the U.S.

-????????? Stopping Human Smuggling & Trafficking – Update federal law and processes to better respond to human smuggling and trafficking cases, particularly in cases involving migrant children.

Read more in our press release and find the full framework.

Overall, as we continue to respond to the global setting of 100+ million displaced people, while hearing the stories of migrants we encounter along our very own border, we know that Congress must act to meet this moment. There has to be pragmatic legislation that balances what the American people would like to see, policies and resources to ensure order processing and safety while offering a humane response to vulnerable individuals.

Congress can fix this and must move to action. This framework gives a good road map for a solid border solution that balances order, safety and dignity.

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