We started the morning off with a tour of a cattle ranch that extends for over 10 miles along the border. Now, I'm not saying just close to the border, it was actually bordering the 15ft. fence between California and Mexico. This ranch must overcome certain challenges that many cattle ranchers in other areas are not faced with.
Our next stop was a tour of the Nogales border patrol office. The officers provided us with some eye opening statistics that really forced us to challenge our prior understanding of what is being smuggled into the United States. We learned about the three branches of The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Program, and how they are trying to work more collectively.
After a delicious lunch at the Fresh Produce Associations of the Americas, we heard from a panel of local Nogales business owners who shed some light on how border and immigration issues affect their businesses. This was yet another contrasting view. To the Nogales merchant, reduced crossings that result from increased border security mean decreased business for local merchants. Two vegetable brokers who pack and import produce from Mexico described the regulations they comply with and the challenges of importing goods. All panelists related how safe they feel in Nogales, even though the common perception is that it is a dangerous place to live.
A few miles out of Nogales lies the headquarters for the cattle ranch that we visited in the morning. This is where Class 41 was treated to a meet and greet with some Alumni from Arizona's Central Regional Connections (CENTRL), and a wonderful steak and chili dinner. My favorite was the home-made peach cobbler cooked in Dutch Ovens. What a great location, and evening.
Three intense days of learning about Arizona border issues culminated in our synthesis session. We shared how our previous ideas, perceptions and assumptions were challenged by what we experienced. We also explored how, considering contrasting views from many sides of these issues, we can "enhance our common voice", the theme of our class. Many of us expressed the shock of realizing that our fellow citizens do not feel safe on their own land. We also recognized that polarization weakens our nation and prevents us from solving problems. Our challenge is to rise above the need to always take sides. While we came to an understanding that border security is somewhat a separate issue from immigration, we struggled with how to keep them separate without leaving out important voices. Our views ranged from confusion about whether our common voice exists, to hope that we will find ours in all certainty.
We realized that this issue is much deeper than it appears on the surface, and many of us expressed the desire to investigate it further. This experience has challenged our perceptions and has started a dialogue amongst the Fellows that will continue for many months to come.
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