El Paso Mission Exposure Trip - 1 - Border control

Group with border guards

A small group of Columban contacts in Britain is spending Holy Week 2016 on a Columban Mission Exposure Visit to El Paso and Mexico, particularly exploring issues around migration.

After a good rest, we were prepared and ready to seize the day. Now that we have acclimatised to the weather and to the time difference, we began our day having a brief introduction by Columban Fr Bob Mosher about the Columban Mission center.

Then we all piled into the van, along with 11 fold-up chairs, and off to the American Border Control we went. We were pleasantly greeted by two Border Patrol officers - Joe and Giovanni. Open to the elements, we sat by the Anapra Fence with Mexico behind us. Joe and Giovanni talked to us about what their jobs entailed and what they experience on a day to day basis, giving us some background to the fence's history and the experiences they have had during their time patrolling the fence.

Before this talk I had a very negative impression of the words 'Border control' but this talk made me feel humbled by the sheer passion they have for both sides of the fence, and the concern these officers have for the humanity they are trying to sustain on a daily basis.

We returned to the Columban Mission house to hear a talk by Molly Molloy, a Border and Latin American Specialist and the Librarian at the New Mexico University. She spoke to us about the fence that separates Mexico and USA and how different this fence is in different places, where it stretches from San Diego to Brownsville, and how the landscape differs. She also introduced to us the rate of crime that exists in Mexico, and how devastating it can be for people living there, often facing desperate situations, which may lead to some Mexicans venturing over to the USA illegally. This talk gave a great insight into the gang culture and crimes that lead to someone wanting to risk their precious life to better themselves and that of their families. It just showed us that however high this fence is built - say 30ft high - someone will always be desperate enough to build a 31ft tall ladder.

This evening we attended a bilingual Chrism Mass, in Saint Patrick's Cathedral in the diocese of El Paso. The service was led by the Bishop of El Paso, Mark Seitz, and 70 of his fellow priests. We witnessed this important service for the church and it was a privilege to be a part of a service rich in music and community spirit. At the end of the evening we had our photo taken with Bishop Seitz.

Rosemary O'Leary is a teacher based in London.