ADVANCE PREPARATION
You will have a more meaningful experience if you first understand why migrants cross the desert to come north, and what their journey is like. Please read one of the following books and/or review one or two of the videos, and submit your comments on the application form.
Recommended Books
De La Torre, Miguel. Trails of Hope and Terror: Testimonies on Immigration, 2009. (Kindle available)
Ferguson, Kathryn, Norma Price, and Ted Parks. Crossing with the Virgin: Stories from the Migrant Trail, 2010. The authors of this book, members of Tucson Samaritans, recount some of their experiences walking the desert trails.
Miller, Todd. Border Patrol Nation: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Homeland Security, 2014. (Kindle available)
Regan, Margaret. The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona Borderlands, 2010. (Kindle available)
Urrea, Luis Alberto. The Devil's Highway: A True Story, 2005. (Kindle available)
Recommended Videos/Films
Crossing the Line: Border Stories. 27 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PaWiYOH8O0
In this 2010 television news special, KPBS San Diego reporters explore the financial impact and personal toll of illegal immigration.
Crossing the Line at the Border: Dying to Get Back. 25 minutes.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/border-patrol-part-3/16916/
PBS Need to Know 2013 documentary: While the number of illegal crossings at the border has plummeted dramatically — roughly half the number than during peak years — just as many people are dying. This means that for those coming into the country illegally, it is now more deadly, more lethal, than at any time in recent U.S. immigration history.
Immigrant America: The High Cost of Deporting Parents
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOEn0iBWWx0
Ray Jesus owned a business. He paid taxes. He has an American wife and 5 American kids. In 2011, he was deported to Guatemala. This is his story.
Risking It All –Across Mexico: Chasing an Impossible Dream. 25 minutes.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/riskingitall/2011/05/2011514141451471429.html
2011 Al Jazeera documentary about Latin American migrants risking life and limb to reach the U.S. border in search of the American dream.
Which Way Home 82 minutes.
Available for streaming on Netflix.com.
2010 Oscar-nominated documentary that follows unaccompanied children from Mexico and Central America on their dangerous journey north to the United States.
Borderlands: Professors Explore Immigration on the Hyphen. 5 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBqBRPZd5Pc
Over spring break 2009, two College of William and Mary professors and eight students joined Samaritans on an exploratory desert hike in the Tucson/Nogales region of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Tinaja Trail
This 2014 documentary focuses on humanitarian efforts to save the lives of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and making their way through the harsh, unforgiving borderland desert. Described as "a compelling tale of life and death and humanitarian service," this film features the work of Tucson Samaritans and other Tucson-based groups as well as volunteer organizations in other states.
Trailer is available for preview at http://www.humanitarianfilm.org/
Recommended Books
De La Torre, Miguel. Trails of Hope and Terror: Testimonies on Immigration, 2009. (Kindle available)
Ferguson, Kathryn, Norma Price, and Ted Parks. Crossing with the Virgin: Stories from the Migrant Trail, 2010. The authors of this book, members of Tucson Samaritans, recount some of their experiences walking the desert trails.
Miller, Todd. Border Patrol Nation: Dispatches from the Front Lines of Homeland Security, 2014. (Kindle available)
Regan, Margaret. The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona Borderlands, 2010. (Kindle available)
Urrea, Luis Alberto. The Devil's Highway: A True Story, 2005. (Kindle available)
Recommended Videos/Films
Crossing the Line: Border Stories. 27 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PaWiYOH8O0
In this 2010 television news special, KPBS San Diego reporters explore the financial impact and personal toll of illegal immigration.
Crossing the Line at the Border: Dying to Get Back. 25 minutes.
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/border-patrol-part-3/16916/
PBS Need to Know 2013 documentary: While the number of illegal crossings at the border has plummeted dramatically — roughly half the number than during peak years — just as many people are dying. This means that for those coming into the country illegally, it is now more deadly, more lethal, than at any time in recent U.S. immigration history.
Immigrant America: The High Cost of Deporting Parents
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOEn0iBWWx0
Ray Jesus owned a business. He paid taxes. He has an American wife and 5 American kids. In 2011, he was deported to Guatemala. This is his story.
Risking It All –Across Mexico: Chasing an Impossible Dream. 25 minutes.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/riskingitall/2011/05/2011514141451471429.html
2011 Al Jazeera documentary about Latin American migrants risking life and limb to reach the U.S. border in search of the American dream.
Which Way Home 82 minutes.
Available for streaming on Netflix.com.
2010 Oscar-nominated documentary that follows unaccompanied children from Mexico and Central America on their dangerous journey north to the United States.
Borderlands: Professors Explore Immigration on the Hyphen. 5 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBqBRPZd5Pc
Over spring break 2009, two College of William and Mary professors and eight students joined Samaritans on an exploratory desert hike in the Tucson/Nogales region of the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Tinaja Trail
This 2014 documentary focuses on humanitarian efforts to save the lives of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and making their way through the harsh, unforgiving borderland desert. Described as "a compelling tale of life and death and humanitarian service," this film features the work of Tucson Samaritans and other Tucson-based groups as well as volunteer organizations in other states.
Trailer is available for preview at http://www.humanitarianfilm.org/