As Congress considers whether to add more federal border agents and contemplates lowering hiring standards to do so, I offer my perspective as a career law enforcement officer and police chief. Integrity is central to policing. If you forsake it for expediency, you undermine public safety and public trust.   Continue reading

Congress wants to water down CBP hiring standards through polygraph loopholes, which is dangerous and risks employing CBP officers and agents who jeopardize national security and public safety. Call your Congressmember to stop this from happening.     Continue reading

A group of 150 people from various organizations in Las Cruces and Albuquerque came together to protest immigration policies, the actions of Border Patrol agents, and the increased funding for militarizing the U.S./Mexico border at the Las Cruces Border Patrol headquarters. Continue reading

The Caravan Against Fear traveled for three weeks in April from Sacramento, CA all the way down the state, and through the U.S. Mexico border region, passing lastly through El Paso, TX before journeying back to California. Through all the stops in cities and towns in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, we met many organizations, community leaders and families who had something to share with us. Through the border region, which is the piece I was largely a part of, we were received with sustaining love, nourishing meals and with a willingness to connect on behalf of those we met and engaged with. Continue reading

On April 23, the Caravan Against Fear began its last week traveling through Texas. We stopped in Austin, Houston, Corpus Christi, Falfurrias, the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo and El Paso. During our stay in Texas, we had the opportunity to meet many different groups including church congregations, grassroots organizations, and statewide partnerships engaged in coalitional work within and outside of SBCC. Continue reading

On May 1, 2017, border communities will stand in solidarity to support immigrants and labor workers. We've compiled a list of May Day events in each southern border state. Continue reading

  By Jesus Mendez On April 21, the Caravan Against Fear stopped in Las Cruces, New Mexico before moving onto Texas, the last of the southern border states. During our stay in New Mexico, we had the opportunity to meet and stand in solidarity with local Las Cruceans in support of their efforts to get the Las Cruces City Council to pass a Welcoming and Freedom City Resolution. The press conference and rally was organized by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico, a local SBCC partner organization, along with others. As we learned in Las Cruces, similar to the reality lived on rest of the border region, Border Patrol checkpoints serve to divide communities. The presence of agents is a normalized reality.  In today’s political climate, there is fear and anxiety among families and young children in mixed-status families, who fear they might be separated. Many refrain from reporting crime and abuse to local law enforcement for fear of being deported, and don’t venture far from home. During our visit, I had the opportunity to learn more about Las Cruces and the border reality in Southern New Mexico thanks to Cynthia Pompa, a field organizer for the ACLU of New Mexico Regional Center for Border Rights. See below for part of our conversation: Continue reading

Congress is wrapping up negotiations on a funding bill that needs to be passed by this Friday, April 28, 2017. We are deeply concerned that this might include funding for ​new Border Patrol or ICE agents, new detention beds and new border barriers​. Reach out to your Senators and urge them to do the right thing!! Continue reading

By Josiah McC. Heyman, Ph.D The last time the Border Patrol received a large infusion of money to hire thousands of new agents, cases of corruption and misconduct spiked in the agency. New hires were not sufficiently vetted, novice agents were not adequately supervised, and agents who abused their authority acted with impunity. Continue reading

By Jesus Daniel Mendez Carbajal One of the best things about joining the Caravan Against Fear is that you get to travel through the entire southern border and get to know the people and places that make this a special place. So far, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with local Arizona community members  and organizations in Phoenix, Tucson and Nogales. In each city we’ve had the opportunity to share time, stories and food. These locations were chosen because of their close proximity and relationship to the border. The schedule of activities for Tucson and Nogales were both largely organized by Juanita Molina, the Executive Director of Border Action Network, and a member of the Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC). Continue reading