1st half heritage trip and Nogales Mexico

The Novices went on a 3 week Heritage tour. We traveled from Milwaukee, to Colfax IA, Denver CO, Albuquerque NM, Tucson AZ, Nogales Mexico, Oceanside CA, Moraga CA, SF CA, NAPA, Orangevale CA, SLC UT, Cheyenne WY, Omaha NE, then home. Is was a trip to see the different Salvatorian Ministries in the US. It was a very good experience and a very eye opening experience. Every place we stayed was very hospitable. Everyone was incredibly friendly and generous. People like to help out. In Tucson we saw Jordan Ministries who put on retreats, talks, and seminars throughout pima county. They even to jail ministry visiting prisoners in Florence AZ. When then saw Southwest Medical Aid. They collect supplies that are going to be thrown away by hospitals and ships them to countries in need of them. Like Mexico, Honduras, El salvador and more. It is a well thought out organization where they only send it to credited places and they ask to see there medical equipment in use. It is a very well run organization who is doing it the right way. That is the problem with a lot of foreign countries when you send money or supplies you need to know who exactly is taking it and what is it exactly being used for. We also did the soup patrol one night in Tucson. We drove to the homeless and feed the soup and hot chocolate. I was shocked to see homeless children who were maybe 10 or 12 yrs old. It is sad. As soon as we pull up in the truck they all come out like zombies. I couldn't believe how many are homeless in there 20's. It is unbelievable. There was maybe a 100 people who should up at the downtown library. Some of them were crazy, some were drunk, some were really old. Something needs to change. How do you separate the crazy ones front the drunk ones, from the ones that just need a chance of hope and have given up on life, from the ones who are comfortable and want to be homeless. It is a sticky situation. I saw a variety of people in Tucson. Friends, family and more. I spoke at Most Holy Trinity church little about my life and how I got here. I had many good meals in Tucson. We then headed down to Nogales to the Jesuit project in Mexico. It really opened my eyes. 

The living conditions is awful. The Mexican government is so corrupt. The drug lords are in collaboration with the government. People who cross the border have to pay the drug lords just to cross because they are on there land. There were two guys that crossed without paying the drug lord and they got whipped with chains. The drug lords higher teenagers to stand on hills and watch for people who cross the border without paying the drug lords for crossing or asking without there permission. They then tell the drug lords. 100% of the people who cross have to use a coyote to get across who works for the drug lords. That is a guide they have to pay that might even beat them or steal there money. They will hold some people for ransom. But they can't stay in Mexico making $6 a day when milk costs $3 a gallon. It's crazy. Then we saw the mile long line filled with semi trucks taking goods to America. The long line of cheap inexpensive labor goods for us so we Americans can save money. It is a messed up system. We got to see where the Jesuits take in the people and feed them. All the people from the compenero had been caught and got deported. They are homeless in Nogales because they are not from there. They have no money and don't know anyone. There from southern Mexico, or Guatamala or even further south. So thank God for the Jesuits who feed them everyday and tell them there rights to be treated as human beings. They provide food, clothes, and a phone call so they can let there loved ones know what has happened. They area doing great work. It was a good experience . Especially to talk with the people. Most of them are going to keep trying. They have family in the US and there going to keep trying until they get to there family. They see it as there only way to survive.

The US spent 18 billion last year trying to protect our borders. What a waste of money. I was wondering what if we took down the fence and opened up our borders to everyone? Majority the people are good people. They want to work hard. But then you are also letting in all the criminals as well. Would it lead to more crime? Over crowded. So they only allow 50,000 Mexicans to become citizens a year. And about 3 million apply. Wow slim chances. It's like winning the lottery. The system has to change. Why can't we give everyone a work visa. Show that they have to be employed and want to work. Oh no America would that mean our goods wouldn't be cheap anymore because everyone would leave Mexico and work here to get better wages. But then I think about my little brother who is half Mexican half American and is lazy. His parents are lazy and feed off the system. Are the Mexican kids that are born here have become lazy. Have we Americanized them. They don't want to go into the fields and pick strawberries even though there parents do. The younger generation is an entitlement generation . They just expect everything. Maybe I am speaking too harshly. I have time to think about this on the road to Yuma.

The Mexican government is so corrupt it makes our government look like saints. This isn't very Christian like but how can we wipe out all the politicians and drug lords. Maybe Ron White the comedian said it best, " The US should by Mexico. That is where all the harder workers come from. They could fix up our country and there country. Then if we want to well sell it back to Spain." I think he went a little far in the quote but I do agree. Mexicans are number one growing population in America and we should accept it.

One more thing. Private prisons. What kind of crap is that? Prisons that make money off the government. It sounds like they have a quote. For example if AZ has 40,000 people in there prisons they get a cut from the government. If they have less they get a smaller cut. So the more they have the more money they make. So of course they want to catch people and leave them in jail. That is crazy. They say 85% of the illegals in jail just want to make money. They are not drug dealers or violent. Good people in jail for crossing the border. I know it is illegal but still there is much worse crimes if you ask me. Did getting a speeding ticket going 86 in a 70mph send me to jail. No but I could have killed someone at that speed. By the way that never happened just giving an example. They say 6,000 have died in the desert the last 4 years. Now that is a crime against humanity. Thank goodness for the No more Deaths program that puts water stations in the desert for these people to get water if they do make it. Yet there are some jerks out there that will shoot them or stab them and drain the water out of them. That is pretty low. 

 Myself, Octavio from Mexico, Patric from San Jose, and Marcel From Nigeria ready for our trip

 This is me speaking at the 9am mass at Most Holy Trinity Parish in Tucson

 This is the place where the Jesuits feed the deported homeless in Nogales Mexico

 This is the line of semi truck goods from Mexico entering the USA. The line is over a mile long

 There is a teenager who is paid by the drug cartels to stand on the hill and watch for people and for illegals crossing into the USA without paying or notifying the drug cartels.

We are filling tooth paste in small containers for the homeless that have been deported. Most have no place to go and no money. They have to figure out what to do. Whether try an attempt again or hitch hike back where ever they came from.

Marcel had a bad experience at the border. The border patrol detained him and lock him in a room with no explanation. They told him to sit and wait . Marcel got pissed. He felt like a caged animal. They held him for probably 15 minutes and then told him you are free to go with no explanation. Marcel kept asking "why are you detaining me?" No explanation was given just " you are free to go". I felt bad for Marcel. He got very upset over it. It was not right. He had the correct documents. Was it racist? Was it racial profiling? Was it because he is from Nigeria? I'm just sorry the toll it took on Marcel. It was embarrassing for him. When we were driving back and we stopped at the border patrol check point in Tubac I lied to them. He asked if we are all citizens and I said yes because I didn't want to put Marcel through any more and he just let us go as I expected. I was glad I was driving as opposed to anyone else. Because I'm sure every one else would have been honest with the border patrol and we would have had to give him all our documentation.
 Sorry for the long rant but social injustice really gets me going now days. It was a good experience in Tucson. I think we all learned a lot. And we have a lot more to learn.