Written by Eleanor Williamson and Natalia Hidalgo (Border Trip 2024)
Today was our last full day here and we certainly made the most of it! We started the day by heading to Sedona, a wonderful breakfast place that happened to recognize Dr. Commins (also playfully called Dr. Mom) for Dia de Las Madres, or Mexican Mother's Day. We then returned to Castro Park to start our reflections and get the right headspace for the day.
Our first activity was a much-anticipated conversation with a Border Patrol agent. Throughout the week we have met so many active players in the Douglas/Agua Prieta community that aid migrants and serve all the people coming through that are in transit. Through all those conversations, we see this border wall with razor wire and recognize all the migrants that have died crossing the border. It builds up stereotypes and preconceived beliefs about the agents and what they do.
The agent we met with was Tim Brownrigg who currently works as a community liaison but has been a border patrol agent for 16 years. The whole time he has been stationed here in Douglas, serving on the patrol line for 12 years, then as the head of the detention center.
When he came into the room, immediately he began challenging the stereotypes that I had developed and expected. I always expected law enforcement to be stern and reserved, but he came in with an open attitude and was extremely personable. He gave us a basic overview of what he does in a day today as a Border Patrol Agent and then let us ask questions.
I think the biggest thing that surprised everyone was how he cared to genuinely care about his role in the migrant's journeys and the way he treats them. He is intentional about lowering the risk of harm and treating all the people he encounters with dignity. We all expected him to be much more indifferent about the experiences the migrants go through, but that was not the case.
Of course, that is not to say he is perfect and that he is not indoctrinated into a system that promotes harm. However, if all Border Patrol agents are like him, I believe the problem is not individuals, but rather a corrupt system. Seeing only the harm and not the inner workings of the system often makes it hard for me to separate the people from the work and I think that was a shared experience.
However, hearing from Brownrigg, laughing and joking with him, and watching him play hackeysack with other members of our groups humanized him in a way that surprised me. More than that, our conversation and the perspective he carried helped me to start to break down the stereotypes I hold against Border Patrol agents, just as I have begun to break down my stereotypes and implicit biases against migrants. In a similar way, I think we challenged him with our questions and gave him some new perspectives to consider as he moves forward.
Our nation's immigration system is extremely harmful and ineffective; however, it was good for me to learn that not all people who work in that system believe it should cause unnecessary harm and do their best to humanize the people they encounter.
After our conversation with Tim and a brief but amusing Hackeysack, we had lunch at Blueberry Cafe. In this cozy and beautifully decorated cafe, we had the privilege to meet the owner Alex. She shared with us her migration story of how she owned her business and made her way to Douglas after growing up in Agua Prieta as a kid. Alex's words were inspiring and empowered; as she was recalling her love-hate relationship with living in the United States, she reminded us of our privilege as American citizens living on the other side of the border.
We then visited the Mexican Consulate in Douglas, which constituted a great opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the definition, responsibilities, and workstreams of a Consulate. With 53 consulates, Mexico has the largest consulate network than any other country in the United States. We got acquainted with the administrative duties and the different projects being carried out in Douglas, especially from the protection area.
Our day ended with a powerful conversation to further learn more about the Education Enrichment Program we had an opportunity to witness in Agua Prieta. As a reminder, this program provides academic support to children struggling in the classroom or facing difficult familiar situations. These kids have become adults by no choice, encountering a reality in which they should never be a participant. Being reminded of the power of little actions, such as a hug, a smile, a look into their eyes, a willingness to hear, or the power to understand what they need without them saying anything was moving.
The week has gone by extremely fast; we cannot believe tomorrow is traveling day again. It is now time to clean, pack, and get good sleep. Hasta mañana!
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