{"id":813,"date":"2011-01-17T12:37:45","date_gmt":"2011-01-17T16:37:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/blog\/crosscultural\/?p=813"},"modified":"2011-01-17T12:37:45","modified_gmt":"2011-01-17T16:37:45","slug":"arizona-immigration-and-the-sonora-desert-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/2011\/01\/17\/arizona-immigration-and-the-sonora-desert-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona, Immigration, and the Sonora Desert Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a class=\"alignright\" title=\"Mexico\/Guatemala 1\" href=\"http:\/\/emu.edu\/blog\/crosscultural\/photos\/album\/72157625701041451\/mexicoguatemala-1.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5201\/5356521930_b9a9043702.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Mexico\/Guatemala 1\" width=\"500\" height=\"334\" \/><\/a>I think I speak for everyone in the group when I say that the past few days have just been a whirlwind of stories, facts, beauty, hard truths, and more.\u00a0 The main events have been making our way through air travel, touring a US Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center (in Florence, AZ), hearing from Kara Hartzler, legal director of the Florence Project (helping with legal representation for detained persons), speaking with members of Shalom Mennonite Congregation in Tucson, and touring the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.\u00a0 Yeah, it\u2019s been busy.<\/p>\n<p>Our tour of the detention center was thorough\u2026 but also one-sided.\u00a0 We were shown what the process was <em>supposed <\/em>to look like when things ran smoothly.\u00a0 We had been primed with some pretty awful stories of when things went wrong, so hearing how things are supposed to go was a pleasant surprise in a couple ways.\u00a0 One thing to note is that we often associate ICE detention centers with individuals who have entered the country without proper documentation.\u00a0 However, the majority of the detainees at this facility were individuals who did have some legal status (permanent residence, green card, etc.) but had committed some crime (such as possession of drug paraphernalia) for which they could be punished by deportation.\u00a0 Here is a brief summary of people\u2019s reactions to the ICE detention center tour:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Surprised at the physical      proximity to the detainees (we were in the same room as detainees at a      couple points)<\/li>\n<li>Surprised we actually got to      see much of the facility<\/li>\n<li>Surprised by how nice it was      (except the beds)<\/li>\n<li>Surprised by the good quality      of the medical facilities<\/li>\n<li>Surprised by the quick      turnover rate (they have 300-some beds, but over the course of last year      45,959 detainees passed through center)<\/li>\n<li>Surprised by the difference      between illegal entrants whose only crime was illegal entry and legal      residents who had committed a crime<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Kara Hartzler told a different story.\u00a0 She told us about many cases that were the exceptions when the process didn\u2019t go smoothly, mistakes were made, individuals rights were trampled, and justice was not served.\u00a0 These stories, though rare, can deeply impact individual\u2019s and families\u2019 lives.\u00a0 In my opinion, Kara\u2019s presentation was just as one-sided as the ICE officials\u2019.\u00a0 These sides were so complementary, though, that they both made perfect sense.<\/p>\n<p>We rounded out our day with some ice cream and then an evening with some members of Shalom Mennonite Church back in Tucson.\u00a0 These individuals told us many stories of the ways they encounter immigrants, their views on the Mennonite Church USA\u2019s convention being held in Arizona, and outcomes of the new AZ immigration legislation (SB 1070).\u00a0 It was interesting to see how on each of these issues there was disagreement and conversation within the church.\u00a0 Not everyone was of one mind, but they were still working together and continuing to search for what it means to be church in this area of the world.<\/p>\n<p>One thing that stood out to at least a couple students was the fact that racial profiling inherent in immigration law scares all immigrants whether they are citizens, legal residents, or undocumented immigrants.\u00a0 Latino people are pulled over more and basically have to carry documentation with them.\u00a0 Even with documentation, though, they can still be accused of stealing that documentation\u2026 so there\u2019s no way to really feel safe if you\u2019re of Latino heritage.\u00a0 This particularly strikes me because as a Caucasian person I have immense privilege and can never really understand the fear or frustration that these Latinos are feeling.<\/p>\n<p>This encounter with people trying to do church here in Tucson really brought home for me the strength that our Christian faith can be.\u00a0 We have something incredible to bring to this situation and I hope that through this trip I can remember that faith grounding and listen to what that faith has to say about the situation.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the various presentations yesterday helped educate us about immigration.\u00a0 The different presenters helped show us the real complexity of the situation and the humanity and truth on all sides.\u00a0 We did a lot of sifting through personal bias (both the presenters and our own), but through it all we began to really enter in to this border area.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"alignleft\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5123\/5355890777_ceae5a2736.jpg\" data-rel=\"lightbox-image-0\" data-rl_title=\"\" data-rl_caption=\"\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5123\/5355890777_ceae5a2736_m.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Joel Dewald, Rachel Hershey, Peter Labosh, Cody Walker, Austin Showalter at the Desert Museum posing as cacti\" width=\"240\" height=\"160\" \/><\/a> One last thing to note is just the landscape here in southern AZ.\u00a0 We are in a desert.\u00a0 This place is unlike anything I have ever seen and I am just amazed by it.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure the rest of the group is getting tired of me saying so, but it\u2019s just amazing!\u00a0 You can see for miles with no large trees to block your view and it seems like every way you look you can see mountains in the distance.\u00a0 The sharp, scrubby plants in the foreground blend into a carpet until rocks seem to erupt through this carpet and form mountains in the distance.\u00a0 The sun is blinding and warms you right up, but the wind gets chilly when you\u2019re in the shade.\u00a0 Everyone looks extra beautiful with the wind in their hair and the sun on their faces.\u00a0 This is not a sand dune sort of desert\u2026 it\u2019s just something else.\u00a0 Also, there are cacti everywhere.<\/p>\n<p>We are leaving tomorrow to stop by Nogales and walk across the border and back and then continue on to Douglas\/Agua Prieta where we will be staying for the next week.\u00a0 Agua Prieta is at a higher elevation than Tucson and they\u2019ve been well under freezing the past few nights, so we\u2019ll all be pulling out the under armor.<\/p>\n<p>We appreciate your prayers as we continue to enter into this place and experience the complexities and frustrations as well as the beauty.<\/p>\n<p>-Rose Byler<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I think I speak for everyone in the group when I say that the past few days have just been a whirlwind of stories, facts, beauty, hard truths, and more.\u00a0 The main events have been making our way through air travel, touring a US Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center (in....<\/p><div> <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/intercultural\/2011\/01\/17\/arizona-immigration-and-the-sonora-desert-museum\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"more-link\">Read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">about Arizona, Immigration, and the Sonora Desert Museum<\/span><svg class=\"svg-icon\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"img\" focusable=\"false\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M0 0h24v24H0z\" fill=\"none\"><\/path><path d=\"M12 4l-1.41 1.41L16.17 11H4v2h12.17l-5.58 5.59L12 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