Video – Immigration Conversation

Undocumented and college educated: Mexican student hopes for passage of the DREAM Act

Immigration Conversation — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 22:02:05 +0000

After losing funding for his college education three times due to his undocumented immigration status, Marco, a 22-year-old senior at Arizona State University, will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in December 2010.

Risking exposure and possible deportation, he tells his immigration story to spread awareness of the plight of undocumented youth in the United States and to encourage the passage of the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform.

Why Jose jumped the fence: A story of illegal immigration

Immigration Conversation — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 05:08:44 +0000

Jose Montes says he jumped the fence when he came to the U.S. illegally 30 years ago. He then went back to Mexico a year later to play in his band. When he returned to the U.S., he got caught by U.S. Border Patrol, but was able to get back into the U.S. on a subsequent trip. He is now a U.S. citizen.

Watch the video below as Jose explains why he chose to enter the United States illegally. Also, Jose shares his views on Arizona’s controversial immigration law SB 1070.

Refilling water jugs in the Arizona desert

Immigration Conversation — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 08:03:45 +0000

During the past year, more than 250 bodies of people trying to cross the U.S./Mexico border have been discovered in the Arizona desert. That’s a record. Increased numbers of Border Patrol agents, a fence and better technology are forcing migrants to choose riskier routes when they cross the desert, according to a recent NPR story.

Check out the following video, which documents my travels with Humane Borders, a group that sends weekly volunteers to the Sonoran Desert to refill water jugs. Their mission is to prevent deaths in the desert. You can also see photos of the trip.