Arizona-Sonora

The more I remove myself from my comfort zone--the more I place myself in positions that lend themselves to empathy--the more I realize how privileged I am. Of all of the places in the world to be born, I was born in one of the most developed and privileged nations on earth: The United States of America. Maybe it's luck. Maybe. But I don't really believe that it is. My parents immigrated to this country when they were both very young. From their sacrifice I have inherited privilege. In Nogales, Sonora, I met individuals who are vying for something close to the privilege that I possess. The privilege that I, and countless others, take for granted. In Nogales, Sonora, I met people who are in a position that my parents were 30 years ago: north bound. I met people who are willing to risk their lives for the chance of a better life for themselves and their children. As I sat at the Grupo Beta house in Nogales, Sonora, I wondered: How different would my life be if my parents were still undocumented? How different would my life be if I had been born in Mexico? A few blocks away from the Grupo Beta house, at the bus station, I met a woman who had been recently deported. She had been walking through the desert for 2 days and managed to sprain her ankle. The swelling was intense and showed no signs of abating soon. Two individuals from No More Deaths, who I had traveled with, suggested that she rest, keep her ankle elevated and drink fluids. The woman nodded in agreeance and replied "Ok". When pressed on what she planned to do, the woman candidly stated: "I'm going to walk, my group leaves soon." We tried reasoning with the woman, but she just sat there; silent. Shortly thereafter, the woman stood up, grabbed her belongings and limped to the bus that would drop her off by the border, where she would restart her journey through the desert. I'll never know what became of that woman, but I hope that her search for a better life carried her safely to her destination.