Check-in

Hey blog followers this is Henry B and this is my check-in.

It is lunchtime here on our 4th day here at Border Links and I am having a great time. Today so far we have had two people come in and talk to us.

We had a woman from the Florence Project come and tell us about this amazing group of lawyers, legal aides, and social workers who defend some illegal immigrants when they cannot afford one. These immigrants range from Central Americans, to Africans, to young unaccompanied children. Because the government puts illegal entry into the civil system they do not have the right to a free attorney. She went in depth about the whole process and I admit a lot of the legal jargon went over my head. All things said it was a fascinating experience.

The second speaker was a teacher from the Ceaser Chavez Learning Center, a charter school in South Tucson. South Tucson is an impoverished area where many immigrants live, both legal and undocumented, as well as families who have lived there for generations. This school provided an alternative learning style to those who had not learned well in public schools. From the way she described it, this school sounds amazing. They have taken trips to Mexico, Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon, and many other locations. They have a fantastic ethnic studies program that has recently been banned by the state of Arizona. The school has also been very politically active, participating in marches and protests. Unfortunately, many of the students have recently been participating in the schools programs because of fear of being picked up by border patrol. The teacher who came to talk to us estimated that over 50% of the student body was here undocumented. The speaker also brought along a soon-to-be 8th grader from the Ceasar Chavez Learning Center. The student told us her story about having a father who was deported twice and who is currently living in Mexico with his mother and siblings. She also expressed her love for the school and the atmosphere that had surrounded it. The most disheartening news came when the two informed us that the Ceasar Chavez Learning Center was being shut down because of budget cuts. Hundreds of disadvantaged kids would be separated and moved to different public schools around South Tucson.

Well that was my morning. We are now off to Nogales, Mexico! I am exited to see the border situation including the border patrol and some of the border art I have been hearing about.

Everything's good mom.
Henry Bushnell