Day One by Sarah and Casey

We arrived in Tucson last night after a 16 hour journey. After a good night's rest we all piled into the van and headed over to a local immigration defense attorney's office. There we discussed the complicated process of defending undocumented people. In the worst case scenerio, which unfortunately is most of the time, these attorneys buy people more time with their families before imminent deportation.  We also met with someone from the Florence Project, a nonprofit organization that provides legal counsel to detained, undocumented people.  This is such an important organization as immigrants do not have the same right to a public defender as a US citizen.  Just another reminder of how complex and drawn out the process of documentation is. 

We then visited the vigil for Congresswoman Giffords and the victims of last Saturday's shootings at University Hospital. Even a week later, many people were present to pay their respects and show their support. It's sad that a tragedy like this is the only thing that can bring our partisan country together, and it was inspiring to see hope even in the face of such an event.

After the vigil we headed to Douglas, making a stop at "historic" Tombstone where leather clad men toting moustaches run wild like the wilder days of the old west. Douglas, a small town right on the border, is no different than any other small American town. The only difference is three massive walls seperating the US and Mexico.

We're staying with one of Eliza's friends who she worked with at Border Action Network over the summer. We discussed some of the troubling consequences of increased militarization of the border. Our host told us about a specific injustice in which a documented Mexican family was assaulted by customs officers on their way to Mexico. The man is now facing possible deportation, his son's shoulder was dislocated, and his wife's existing medical condition was aggravated. We also discussed corruption in law enforcement and the overpaid, underachieving Border Patrol. Often times border patrol officers can be found sleeping on the job all the while earning $80,000--and that's entry level salary.

Already, we have found it difficult to organize the acronyms and legal jargon of immigration, and we are becoming far more aware of how complex and multi-faceted this issue really is.  We have already met so many interesting people who have remained so positive and optimistic despite the significance of this issue in their lives.  We are looking forward to another packed and inspiring day tomorrow.