By: Roxane Ramos The list below covers only a small selection of the books available about the migrant experience, immigration and border life. They include works of fiction, non-fiction volumes, art books, memoirs, and children’s books, and all help to inform us about the issues of immigration, cultural challenges, family separation and even basic survival. Non-fiction: The Devil’s Highway: A True Story Luis Alberto Urrea, Little, Brown and Company, 2004. Enrique’s Journey Sonia … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2015
KBI Movie List
By: Roxane Ramos Over the past two decades, many films have addressed the trials and struggles, hopes and dreams of families and individuals who cross the U.S.–Mexico border to seek a better life and to be with loved ones. In addition to the titles listed below, there are also My Family (1995), Sin Nombre (2009), and A Better Life (2013). * Now a classic and one of the first movies about the struggles and hardships facing those who choose to migrate to the U.S., El Norte (1983) by Gregory … [Read more...]
What’s in a Number?
By: Roxane Ramos Every year, the Department of Homeland Security releases a report detailing deportation and other statistics. From those numbers, we can determine whether deportations are rising or falling. But there are definitions—and implications—behind the figures. The statistics seem straightforward enough. Even so, some sources report that deportations are on the rise at the same time others report that they are declining. How are these statistics counted, who is included, and what … [Read more...]
Deaths in the Desert
By: Roxane Ramos For migrants attempting to cross the U.S.–Mexico border in the sweltering summer months, a wrong turn or a leaky water bottle can be a death sentence. In April 2014, an impressive delegation of Catholic clergy—including seven bishops and 17 priests—visited Nogales, Arizona to draw attention to the immigration crisis at the U.S.–Mexico border. While there, they celebrated a Mass at the border fence in commemoration of the many migrants who have died while crossing. Cardinal … [Read more...]
Up Close: Javier Fierro and Joanna Foote Williams
The KBI’s new staff members bring a wealth of experience and commitment to the KBI. By: Roxane Ramos The Kino Border Initiative welcomes two new staff members who are not so new to the KBI—Associate Director Javier Fierro and Director of Education and Advocacy Joanna Foote Williams have worked as volunteers in the past, serving deported migrants and supporting the KBI’s mission. Here’s a little bit more about them. Javier Fierro, Associate Director: Javier Fierro has volunteered … [Read more...]