‘Border Lens’ offers factual, real-time data along with the stories behind them
SOUTHERN BORDER — The Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) is proud to announce the launch of Border Lens, a data and research site created by southern border residents to help inform border policies while telling the stories of those who live, work and pass through our region.
Border Lens brings together the latest available data on key border issues like asylum, border militarization, the environment, and border patrol accountability. The data are presented with interactive charts while the stories include multimedia elements including videos and other interactive tools. The goal is to raise awareness about what is really happening in the border region in real time.
In the coming weeks, users can expect up-to-date information as well as new stories coming from SBCC partners including the Kino Border Institute, Equal Voice Network, NM CAFé and Alliance San Diego.
Vicki B. Gaubeca, director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition, said:
“Border Lens is a deep look at the southern border region, from borderlanders themselves. For too long we’ve seen the narratives and information surrounding our region being shaped by people hundreds of miles away, some who’ve never even visited. With Border Lens we hope to show the border for what it really is — one of the most diverse, economically vibrant and safest areas of our nation. We hope the information brought to light will move our nation away from enforcement-only policies towards a New Border Vision that expands public safety, upholds human rights and welcomes all people to our region.”
Gustavo López, border research manager for the Southern Border Communities Coalition said:
“Border Lens is a real-time data portal that helps underscore the need for border communities to speak and advocate for themselves. It’s a tool that elected officials, researchers and others can use for reliable, real-time vetted information and data, featuring actual stories from the southern border region, told by people who are most affected by our harmful border militarization policies. Border Lens is a call for a New Border Vision that re-imagines what the southern border — or any border — can become.”
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN BORDER COMMUNITIES COALITION
The Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) brings together organizations from San Diego, California to Brownsville, Texas, to ensure that border enforcement policies and practices are accountable and fair, respect human dignity and human rights, and prevent the loss of life in the region.
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