Thread by @charlicarpenter

THREAD: While speaking to this guard yesterday at Paso del Norte detention center, who asked I edit his face out of the photo I took:

Me: "What should I tell my son about the pictures he's been seeing in the paper, when I tell him I came down here and spoke to you?"

He: "Tell him we're doing our jobs the best we can with the resources we have."

Me: "You're doing your job. But what do you personally think? Do you think it's right?"

Guard: "It's on the books, it's the law Congress pass, and we're enforcing the law, the oath we took."

Me: "Are you familiar with the 1967 Refugee Convention we signed, sir? Are you familiar with Article 6 of the US constitution that says our treaties are the law of the land?"

Guard: "I'm not sure I could quote you Article 6...

Me: "But is it right in your mind as a Christian, as an American?

Guard: "This is the law Congress passed, we're enforcing that law, that's the oath we took. If we don't do our job, we can be prosecuted..."

Me: "But what about the overcrowding?"

Guard: "Right now it's not so overcrwoded, we're in a lull. What do you do when a surge overwhelms the system? We're doing jobs we weren't trained to do."

Me: "Right... but when you don't have the room, is it right to cram people in where they can't lie down? Why not just release them with ankle-bracelets? Seeking asylum isn't a crime."

Guard: "Well, no one wants people standing shoulder to shoulder. That's not good for anyone.."

Me: "What kind of resources do you need to welcome these refugees, process their claims quickly, provide shelters instead of prisons, in line with international law?"

Guard: "No matter how many resources, if you build the facilities for 1,000 then 5,000 will come..."

Me: "Germany took in 300,000 refugees. That's a nation my father fought against in World War II. Could we not be as generous as Germany?"

Guard: "How can we help these people if we can't even take care of the homeless and orphaned children here at home?"

Me: "I think we can help Americans and help refugees. That's why I vote Democrat. How do you vote, sir?"

Guard: "I'm a Republican. I feel like under Obama I couldn't do my job."

Me: "But is it your job to lock up children? Do you personally feel this is right? If you could make the law would you want us to be a nation that welcomes refugees?"

Guard: "I think we are. We just need to make sure they follow a process."

For 3 hours this guard and I talked through this fence. While we spoke, I watched three boys maybe age 12 apprehended. The guard assured me they wd receive the best care. The guard I spoke to the day before at this same spot swore there were no children in this facility.

Me: "Thank you for speaking with me. I appreciate the chance to hear your perspective."

Guard: "Well, it's pretty innocuous when you don't show up with a bunch of cameras and we can have a conversation between two human beings and not yell and scream at each other."

Me: "Well, I do have a photographic memory so in my brain I'm secretly recording everything you say."

Guard: (laughs)