SOUTHERN BORDER — In March 2021, the Southern Border Communities Coalition celebrates ten years of border rights advocacy. Formed in March 2011, the Southern Border Communities Coalition brings together 60 organizations across the southern borderlands, from San Diego, CA to Brownsville, TX.  Southern border communities are dynamic places full of hope and opportunity, but for decades border policies have cast aside human rights, criminalized migrants and focused on deadly and unaccountable border enforcement. Border communities have been harmed by these policies, adversely impacting our residents’ and visitors' human rights, local and regional economies, the environment and cross-border ties. 

For 10 years, southern border organizations and community leaders have come together 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.  
• Promote and support rational and humane immigration reform policies and solutions that improve the quality of life in border communities, including a New Border Vision, a framework for humane border policy.
• Document and hold CBP accountable for years of abuses and killings against immigrants and U.S. citizens alike.

Lilian Serrano, co-chair of the Southern Border Communities Coalition and chair of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium said:

"For decades, border policies have been based on misconceptions about what the border region really is. Our border communities have been left out of conversations and the creation of policies that impact our daily lives. Through the creation of SBCC, those who call the southern border region home have been able to tell the story of our communities from OUR perspective and inform the decision making process with OUR voices. We created a data-hub called border lens to collect the stories and data points that show what our reality is like. We've used our experiences and collective voices to fight back against the increasing border militarization. Now is time to move away from the enforcement-only border policies of the past, and towards A New Border Vision that expands public safety, promotes human rights and welcomes all people to our borders."

Christina Patiño Houle, Network Weaver for the Rio Grande Equal Voice Network, said:

"Since the creation of the U.S./ Mexico border, the people of the southern border region have been fighting for a seat at the table in the decision making process when it comes to policies that impact our border region. Every year we see more and more instances of abuse by border patrol, while their funding increases, across different presidential administrations. The decades of abuse must come to an end. There is hope on the horizon, calling for accountability and humane border policy that is informed by the experiences of the people from the southern border region. Our communities are ready for a New Border Vision."

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.