Student Slideshows Arizona 2011: Louise Blavet

Repatriation

Text and photos by Louise Blavet

NOGALES, SONORA – Eduardo Dario Bautista, a resident of Nogales, Sonora, watches the removal of the long-standing border fence dividing Mexico from the United States and stares at the ephemeral open gap between the two nations. It’s the first time that residents of this Mexican border town have been able to witness such an opening along the shared border.

Throughout the day, U.S. Granite Construction workers continuously work along the temporary opening to replace the old fence with a newer, taller and stronger one that will cover 2.8 miles of the border.

Since 2000, the Arizona-Sonora border has become one of the busiest border zones for migrants. Although the purpose of the new fence is to limit the number of crossings and increase US Border Patrol agent safety and effectiveness, migrants are still finding ways to jump over, just as they have for the last decades. While some succeed, a large majority are caught and deported back to Mexico. Those deported range from migrants that have been caught before to migrants that have made a living for up to 40 years in the U.S. From January to April this year, the city of Nogales itself received 26,964 repatriated migrants alone, the largest repatriation port of entry after Tijuana.

Migrants brought back from the United States are not left unassisted. Several Mexican government support groups and shelters have been put in place to address these immigration issues. Before these organizations existed, many deportees had no choice but to live on the streets in a country that for some had now become unfamiliar. Grupos Beta, a government organization, aims to help those deported and dropped off at different immigration port of entries by offering access to shelters, soup kitchens, phone calls and discounts on transportation fares.

While the goals of many of these aid organizations is to help deportees return to their families in Mexico, many migrants have no intention of returning to the life they once left. For the majority, returning to the U.S. is still their priority because of the increased income and opportunities, and despite the life threatening risks of crossing.

Return to the 2011 Workshop page: Immigration on the US-Mexico Border