Pictures from Sarah

Our first full day in Tucson, we visited the vigil at the University Medical Center for the victims of the recent shooting.

CC students at the vigil.  We were amazed and inspired by the amount of love and support for the victims and their families.

Tucsonians at the vigil.

We met with a member of the Sierra Club in Douglas to learn about the environmental impact of the wall.  The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area is ecologically diverse, and the impact of the wall is quite incredible.  The Sierra Club has a "Wild vs. Wall" campaign to raise awareness to the oftentimes irreparable destruction that this symbol causes. The wall not only destroys natural and crucial habitat to many endangered and threatened species, but it also prevents the natural migration of these animals.
We then took a walk through the Conservation Area, and although we were adequately prepared with water and good shoes, we were all tired after our short walk in the desert.  It's disturbing to think that some migrants cross this desert in the summer months when the temperatures can reach more than 100 F, and that they do it without adequate food and water supplies, and without good shoes.

Every Tuesday night in Douglas, members of the Frontera de Cristo ministry remember the lives of those who have passed away while crossing the border.  The vigil was incredibly powerful, and a reminder that while the journey to cross the border is dangerous, but that people are willing to take such immense risks to come here.

This is also from Las Cruces, the vigil in Douglas.  Here, you can see the line to cross back into Mexico.  The line disappears around the corner, out of the frame of the photo; but the line is very long.

We toured the Border Patrol Station in Nogales, the largest station in the United States. We were greeted by about 5 agents, and each shook every single one of our hands.  Though it was easy to see that some of our tour was a bit showy, it was very interesting to learn about immigration from the law enforcement perspective.



Eliza, trip leader, explaining how the border wall divides Nogales, AZ and Nogales, Sonora of Mexico.



The Nogales sector of the border wall.  This photo looks out over Nogales, Sonora of Mexico.

CC students climbing on the border wall.