Chop Wood, Carry Water 2/7
Hi, all, and happy Tuesday,
Well, I’m back. My whole trip—to Phoenix, then Sahuarita, AZ, and from there to Nogales, Mexico and back to Phoenix, took about 36 hours. I’m tired, but also inspired, moved, and utterly galvanized by what I saw and heard during that short time.
I had the great honor of driving down to the border and into Nogales with two incredible folks, Randy and Sura, who have been doing humanitarian assistance along the border—where they do rescue patrols and water drops—and at migrant shelters in Mexico for 25 years. While en route we heard story after story of the horrifying things they’ve seen, the nasty CBP agents they’ve faced, the shelters they’ve volunteered in, and their interactions with politicians (of both parties) who have misread, ignored, or botched the situation at the border. They voiced deep frustration and sorrow at the human suffering being inflicted—suffering which current American policy seems designed to worsen. But there was joy, too, at what they’ve been able to achieve, and for the small ways they’ve been able to ease people’s pain during some of the the most traumatic moments of their lives.
We stopped briefly at the American side of the border wall so they could show us the barbed wire and steel mesh that’ve been added to stop folks on either side of the wall from touching each other through the bars. They pointed to places where people had climbed over and jumped into the U.S. despite the razor wire—you could see shreds of clothing clinging to the coils. They showed us where a woman had caught in the wire and died. And where a migrant had “popped out of the bushes” near them and been surrounded by CBP in seconds. And where CPB had shot a 16-year-old boy for no reason, and then faced no consequences for it “because they never do.”
And then, just when it seemed the bleakness of it all would overwhelm us, we piled back in the van, drove across the border, and rode for 15 minutes over bumpy and tortuous roads to a migrant shelter buried deep within the Mexican town of Nogales.
We found there an absolute haven of peace and kindness run by a Catholic nun named Sister Lika. This “Casa” houses up to 150 asylum-seekers at a time, offering them not just food and shelter but medical care, yoga classes, accredited education for them and their kids, lactation consultants and gynecological care for those who need it, and a garden, playground, and basketball court so that everyone can find a bit of joy. It boasts a pride flag flown high on a pole to show that it is LGBTQ inclusive (Lika, like me, has a queer kid). This part made me burst into tears—but then we all did quite a bit of crying on this visit.
Lika happens to be an artist, so the entire complex is decorated in paintings and colorful wall murals. There are rooms with dozens of neatly made bunkbeds, there are chickens, there are chairs in the sun. And there is a ton of help and support for the migrants with CPB’s new app, CPB 1, which is extremely challenging to use.
Migrants hoping for asylum in the U.S. stay at this shelter until they get a hearing or are allowed to cross the border to have a hearing here. What becomes of them after that varies, but the hard truth is that our country is looking for reasons to reject as many as they can. Folks who have travelled for weeks and even months to escape unthinkable violence and hardship—I met one 20-year-old girl who’d come all the way from Venezuela by herself, and mostly on foot—are sent back unceremoniously every day. By the busload. With their kids. It’s really, really brutal.
But some do get through, and we can only hope that when they do reach their final destinations they are greeted with a fraction of the kindness Sister Lika shows them in her shelter.
As Pastor Randy said the first night I met him: “I’ve given up on policy. It’s just—be a decent person. That’s all I’m focussed on.”
That’s all that any of these three—and the many who volunteer with them—are focussed on. And my God, are they succeeding.
I’m going to try to focus on it more, too. But unlike Randy, I won’t give up on policy, either. Because what we’re doing at the border is shameful. And has been for a very long time. We owe it to the people trying to save their families to keep pushing for better.
Now let’s get to work.
P.S. — President Biden will give his State of the Union address at 9 PM ET. You can visit wh.gov/SOTU to watch, and please do!
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling again to demand that the House vote to raise the debt ceiling. This is money Congress has already spent. If Republicans want to change the budget going forward that’s fine, but this is like credit card debt—you don’t just walk away from it. Americans want a clean debt ceiling increase and we want it now, before the markets start getting spooked.
[If GOP add:] If I lose one penny of my retirement fund—or of my Social Security or Medicare payments—because of Republican shenanigans I will work every day to make sure the Congressmember loses his/her seat. Thanks.
[If Dem add:] Democrats need to stay strong and firm. No negotiations with Republicans on the debt ceiling. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Please send this to President Biden through his webform (so you can personalize it slightly.) Also send it to Deb Haaland here. [H/T]
I’m writing to express my grave concern about the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project in Alaska’s North Slope, and my outrage that the Biden Administration would even consider approvals for this project. This project’s life-threatening impacts extend from local to global. I urge you to do all you can to stop the Willow project from moving forward in any form before it’s too late.
The Willow Project is incompatible with President Biden’s climate agenda. We are already running out of time to avoid the most catastrophic outcomes of the climate crisis. Though Biden stated support for this project, it would make Biden’s own climate goals impossible to meet.
In addition to accelerating irreversible climate change for the Arctic and the rest of the world, this project would also disproportionately affect the community of Nuiqsut, a predominantly Iñupiaq village of about 500 people who are already living through extreme pollution from existing oil projects.
Lastly, this project would threaten the delicate ecosystems and vital animal species native to the western Arctic region.
I strongly urge you to immediately deny the Willow Project permit. Thanks.
Get Smart! 📚
Want to educate yourself before the State of the Union? I’m partnering with a great new organization called USA Facts—they offer a nonpartisan interactive resource with data on 13 key issues (immigration, the economy, etc.). I like it because it’s unbiased, evidence-based, and has no angle. It’s a “just the facts, ma’am” kind of place. Oh, and they have excellent graphics.
It’s impossible to have informed debates unless we all take the time to educate ourselves. This is a great resource to get you started, or to share with a friend looking for neutral sources. Or to use when backing up your position—I literally just cited data from it in my public comment at the L.A. board of Supervisors meeting!
And it’s definitely a great way to prepare for the SOTU.
Spread the Word! 📣
With new polling reporting that Americans are still clueless about everything Joe Biden has accomplished, please help us get out the word by sharing this Into Action GIF, which you can find here.
Learn more with these fact sheets:
Give 💰 #1!
If you want to help Syria and Turkey after their horrific earthquake this article has a list of great orgs to give to.
Give 💰 #2
If you want to support the astonishing work being done by the folks I just visited with—the Green Valley-Sahuarita Samaritans—you can learn more about what they do and maybe make a donation here (you can also ask that part or all of your money go to Sister Lika’s shelter in Nogales). Oh, and FYI, they are founded by Pastor Randy, and still run their operations out of his church, but their operations—as well as most of their volunteers—are secular.
Win Races! 🗳
Help us win in Wisconsin! Come to “All Things Spring Elections: Messaging, Organizing Plan, & Important Resources” with special guest WisDems Chair Ben Wikler. It’s tomorrow at 6:00 PM CT.
On this training, Chair Ben Wikler & Joe Oslund, WisDems Communications Director, will be joining us to go over important messaging information for the Spring elections. They will also be covering their Organizing plan, important dates & more! Please sign up for the call ahead of time.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [Quick send text SIGN PUXOTT to 50409]
President Biden’s blueprint of protections for renters is a much needed call for increased protection for renters’ rights and investments in affordable housing. But we know there are severe limitations on what the White House can do, which is why we need federal legislation.
We’re dealing with a national shortage of 7 million affordable homes for low-income renters. This severe shortage of homes is a structural feature of America’s housing system that builds upon almost a century of discriminatory housing policies and practices that exist to this day. The affordable housing crisis impacts every city, state, and community and without your intervention, the lasting effects on our educational, health care, and economic systems will be catastrophic.
As your constituent, I’m calling on you to pass legislation that will bridge the gap between income and rental costs, increase the supply of affordable units, and provide protection against discrimination for tenants who use government or public subsidies to pay rent, and just cause eviction protections, including the right to counsel. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw how rental protections provided a necessary lifeline to families who had just lost income or members of their household due to the virus. People are still getting sick with COVID, inflation is at record highs, and the financial support and expanded tax credits millions received during the pandemic have expired.
We’ve bailed out corporations and the ultra-wealthy. Now it’s time for real investments in the American people: affordable, stable housing and protections against greedy landlords. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Thank you for sharing your experience and also for going - not an easy trip. Appreciate your insights.
Just to add to the depth of the reading experience of the border--I am presently sitting in my office the faces the US/Mexico border which is about 100 yards south of me. We are east of Nogales and there is a border crossing here. (also 100 yards away) Each day starting at 6:00 a.m. when the border opens literally hundreds of cars come through the border to the US because the occupants are either US citizens living in Mexico or Green Card holders working at the myriad of low paying jobs in the area. In addition each day over 90 school children pass by my house on their way from Mexico to the local grade school for an education in the US. If there is an auto accident in Mexico and there are serious injuries, the border patrol sets off a very large alarm and contacts the local hospital with evacuation equipment (helicopter), the injured are transported over the border to the waiting helicopter and whisked off to emergency care in the US.
When walking the dog in the mornings, I haven't seen any people making their way through the desert recently.
And, yes, the horrors that some people are willing to visit on immigrants are significant. You wouldn't believe it.