Picture your neighborhood. The road you drive on to get to work or school. The
neighbors you're close to, even the ones you just wave to. Think about your favorite grocery store, pharmacy. Now picture a big metal wall cutting right through that neighborhood, so that you can't use that road, wave to those neighbors, or shop at that grocery store.
I viewed the Nogales wall from a few perspectives, on both sides of the border: in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico and Nogales, Arizona, US. In the same way my photos can't capture the grandeur of the natural landscape, I'm frustrated by my ability to show
how ominous the wall felt to me. Two cities with the same name, divided by this massive wall, with unintended consequences on both sides. Aspects reminded me of Israel / Palestine, and others made comparisons to the Berlin Wall.
The 18 foot high, 2.8 miles long bollard-style fence was erected in Nogales in 2011, replacing a shorter sheet metal fence that had been in place since 1994. The wall's construction allows Border Patrol agents to see through it, but prevents pedestrians as well as vehicles. Various additions have been made to the wall over time, like spotlights and extra bars.
At many sections there is a metal grate to prevent drugs from being passed through. It's the second type of metal grate tried - the first was too thin and people cut sections to make BBQ grills!
There is also barbed wire at the top. There is barbed wire everywhere. It's to keep nimble climbers from scaling the wall - people I spoke with had personally witnessed young people scampering up the wall before BP could stop them. But it's a lot of barbed wire, everywhere you look. Like in a prison.
In so many places the wall just sliced right through neighborhoods. Yes, the border had been there for a hundred years or so and marked in various ways. But there used to be more points where people could cross, and crossing used to be relatively quick. Now the wall and its barbed wire and its stadium lights shape and define the communities in Nogales.
Family members have lived on different sides of the border since the border was created. For decades crossing to visit was routine and relatively easy, but no more. Now families gather at certain spots along the wall to visit. But Border Patrol discourages this by putting up physical barriers and breaking up visits. It is understood that family members can put one finger through the metal grate to touch - more than that, and BP will send them away.
This used to be a thriving tourist spot, and AZ residents talked about how often they used to go to Nogales, Sonora for dinner, haircuts, shopping. Now they don't, because it can take two plus hours to return to the US side, and the economic impact on Mexico is real.
Today there are only two places you can cross by car, three by foot. It's pretty quick to enter the Mexico side, although Mexican Customs has been cracking down as well. Samaritans with vehicles full of donations have been pulled aside for inspection to make sure goods aren't being brought in without appropriate fees. But the wait to enter the US side is often two hours or more, with your car idling the whole time. The process is like
trying to pay a highway toll on a holiday weekend. Cars jockey for position while vendors weave among them selling newspapers or cleaning windshields. This does give an opportunity for great conversation with the vendors; the folks from Samaritans get to know them well. Traveling with Shura Wallin, faces lit up when they saw her, and arms reached into the car for an embrace. It was like being with a celebrity.
As traffic moves, there are about 15 possible lanes for cars to go through, but only five or six are opened, which is what leads to the slowdown. And there aren't toll collectors at each gate; there are Customs agents, guns and dogs. I didn't dare take pictures in that area.
One industry that seems to have survived the new reality at the border is, of all things, dentistry. Several people made comments like "When I went to my dentist in Nogales..." but I didn't get it. When I crossed the border into Mexico, I swear every other building was a dentist office! People told me that dentistry, including complicated procedures like root canals and crowns, are faster, cheaper and more advanced technologically on the Mexico side of the border. But that seemed to be the only good news on that side.
On October 10, 2012, 16 year old José Antonio Elena Rodrígues was walking on the
Mexico side of the border wall, where he lived. According to his family, he was meeting up with his brother after playing basketball with friends. He never made it; he was shot 10 times by US Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz. BP agents had responded to reports of youths scaling the wall to smuggle marijuana over the border. As often happened, agents believed the smugglers had left their bundles on the US side and then climbed back over the wall to return to Mexico. When agents told them to stop, youths threw rocks over the wall. That's when Swartz fired his gun into Mexico 12 times, hitting José in the back and head 10 times. José was on the ground for most of the shots. Two court cases found Swartz not guilty, with juries unable to come to decisions on some counts. You can find out more online and in the article I've linked below.
José's family shows incredible strength by keeping people aware of his death and their desire for justice. Today there are murals and regular vigils on the Mexico side of the border. José is a symbol for Mexican citizens who have been killed in Mexico by US Border Patrol, as well as US and Mexican citizens killed by BP in the US.
The murals on the Mexico side of the border aren't just to remember José. There is so much art on the Mexico side of the wall. It's like the wall itself becomes a canvas for the creativity and passion of the people.
I live one mile from the border with New Hampshire. Our family goes to work and school in Massachusetts, but much of our lives is lived on the other side of that border. Right now we hardly notice the state border, in the same way that my friends who live in France and Switzerland pass back and forth with little notice. I wonder how much my life would change if a wall went up a mile from my house.
Resources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/06/magazine/10-shots-across-the-border.html
UPDATE:
I'm not posting fast enough to keep up with everything at the border. A friend I met through Samaritans just alerted us of changes made to the Nogales' wall. I can't provide a side-by-side comparison, but this photo is from the same general area as others in this post. The US government added additional rows of razor wire. Now people can no longer touch fingertips through the fence, in fact can't even get within three feet of it. According to news reports, the Nogales, Arizona mayor was not informed and cannot get an explanation. He is deeply worried about the impact on tourism, as well as safety. Again, this is on the US side of the fence.
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