Post author: Vanessa Cardinale
Did you know that there is a whole portion of Southern Texas where U.S. Citizens need a passport to visit? Did you also know that those who live there, in the United States, south of this border need a passport to travel from their region of Texas to anywhere else north? Yesterday, as we left the valley to return to San Antonio, we had to pass through a border patrol check-point where we all had to show our passports and have our van inspected. There are people living south of the check-point who need to pass through the “second border” to travel to any other part of the United States.
During our week along the border, we heard the concerns of residents and advocates who spoke with us about the ways that this second border further isolates the valley region and jeopardizes the safety of people living there.
For example, if there were ever an hurricane to hit the area and there was a need to evacuate, DHS does not guarantee that border patrol and ICE would not be checking papers at the second checkpoint. As a result, the traffic created by the checkpoint would leave people on the highway when a hurricane would hit as well as cause those who either lost or do not have documents to stay behind and risk their lives.
While the vast majority of people in the valley are documented, it is common that families have someone in their family who is without documents. This creates a situation where families would risk their lives to a hurricane rather than risk their families being separated. One can also easily imagine a scenario where in having to leave quickly because of an approaching hurricane someone could their documents behind and thus not being able to leave without risking deportation.
Another consequence of the second border is the increased isolation of the communities to the south of it. The valley has no public hospital, and so a large percentage of children in the area are delivered by parteras, or midwives, in peoples homes. However, the U.S. government is no longer recognizing birth certificates signed by these midwives, making it near impossible for people to acquire a passport and travel despite their status as a U.S. citizens. People in this difficult situation are unable to find work or access healthcare, among other things, because of the complicated and expensive process to prove their citizenship. As a result they cannot leave the valley.
This second border, along with the wall being constructed on the southern border, are further isolating communities that have historically been isolated and rejected. Despite the openness of the geography of the valley, being there gave me a sense of being closed in. As we passed thorough the second border yesterday, a border patrol agent collected our passports and asked us questions about who we were and where we were going. After he returned our passports to us, he asked us to all lift up our feet and used his flashlight to check under the seats with the explanation “You’d be surprised what you’d find!” I was left wondering what he was really looking for.
