Now that I am in Colorado, where it's noticeable how many people are Hispanic, I'm ready to see what a UU minister might do about issues around migrants.
I went to a meeting for clergy sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee here and found that there's a lot already going on. One of the challenges will be to find ways to fit in. There's the once-a-month vigil at the detention center in Aurora. There are occasional opportunities to visit detainees. There are sometimes chances to stand with people at their deportation hearings. Someone from my congregation goes regularly to Tucson, AZ, with socks, belts, and shoelaces, for people who have been released from detention and don't have those things. I learned that people being deported from the Denver area go through El Paso, a much more dangerous area for people being returned.
Five years ago, I went to Tucson myself for a human rights trip to the desert where people walk into the United States and various places associated with that desert walk -- especially Nogales, MX, where it was perfectly clear why some people choose the risky desert crossing. Hundreds of people still die each year.
This fall, I want to update my understanding of the border, so I'm going to take a quick visit again to Tucson. I'll be staying with Borderlinks, the group who organized the trip I went on the last time. The adventure starts Wednesday and ends Saturday, so we'll see what happens!
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