For the next hour or so, I’ll be tweeting about our @sdspj panel about last years’s caravan to the border, how it affected #Tijuana, and what we’ve learned since. I’ll be using the hashtag #spjborderpanel and I’ll try to keep it contained to this thread.
No promises about keeping it in one thread though! Here’s details about this event: spjsandiego.org/2019/10/15/nov…
Overall, says @AP reporter @elliotspagat, local coverage was excellent. Trying to determine who organized the caravan was difficult, as were other details, given the political situation in both countries. #spjborderpanel
“There was... a lot of disagreement between NGOs and activists. They thought the caravan was a disaster. It was really heartbreaking.” People were sleeping in torrential rain, kids were sick, families were hungry.
Border journalist Jordi LeBrija (@djtorquemada) says putting the caravan in Zona Norte — Tijuana’s notorious red light district — was disastrous, because sex traffickers there were quick to prey on the young and vulnerable.
Vicente Calderón (@tijuanapress) says that there was a small but vocal segment of xenophobes that wanted the caravan members gone, but that they were not representative of Tijuana overall.
He says that the @sdut printed a quote verbatim and uncritically that was false (“13,000 people”) which ended up retweeted by @realDonaldTrump; it was inflammatory and untrue.
Some of you may recall my own outspokenness about the lies and disinformation around the caravan. It caused so much suffering.
Memo Arias (@gmoariasc) makes an excellent point about local coverage: Many of the local reporters were not reporting their own stories but acting as fixers for international media, and were thus not responsible for the end products.
Maya Srikrishnan (@msrikris) says the coverage was affected strongly not just by “parachute journalism,” but also “parachute activism.” Be wary of who you talk to if you do not understand the region, she cautions; be wary of newly-minted experts.
A group called BAMN (By Any Means Necessary) was trying to push migrants to rush the border — putting the lives of the vulnerable on the line. Many caravan members felt deceived or like political pawns, says @elliotspagat.
Vicente Calderón (@tijuanapress): says many lawyers were protective of people to the point of attempting to exclude media from public spaces when reporters were trying to tell important stories.
Aside, whichI really should have said before: The excellent @NAHJSDTJ — a binational journalism organization of which I’m a member — is also part of this event, so check them out.
The numbers coming from American border authorities are absurd, says @GmoAriasC. Reporters need to ask more questions about those numbers.
There are complicated extortion schemes involving bad lawyers, coyotes, & other opportunists such as crooked religious organizations taking advantage of vulnerable people — some of whom are, a year later, still waiting — promising them safe entry to the USA, says @djtorquemada.
The streets are still dangerous for vulnerable people. “There are many people from the caravan still in #Tijuana, and they’re stuck,” says Jordi LeBrija. There are minors left to fend for themselves.
Vicente Calderón of @tijuanapress says the situation remains complex and delicate, as with everything at the border. Can confirm this. Every new thing I learn about the border raises a dozen more questions. It’s why I love it so much.
There are lists of people waiting for their interviews with border authorities. How those names get chosen each day is a mystery, says @elliotspagat. As of this week, there were 9800 names on that list in #Tijuana alone. The “remain in Mexico” policy has made this far worse.
“I don’t think this is a story that ever ends,” says @msrikris. There need to be a lot more focus and scrutiny on laws and policies at the border, she adds. Journalists need to continue to look into the roles that DHS and activists played.
Audience questions to follow.
Question about CBP surveillance of activists, journalists, lawyers etc. Is this the new normal?
Answer from Jordi LeBrija: It’s basically been this way all along. Laughs from some reporters.
Answer from Jordi LeBrija: It’s basically been this way all along. Laughs from some reporters.
We’re talking about the border harassment that I’ve been going on about for ages. There’s new tools for them to spy on us, @tijuanapress says. Always be cautious, just in case. It’s easy now. Brings up Pegasus software used to track journalists.
I always did wonder how people could find me so readily in Tijuana, so finding out about Pegasus made a lot of sense.
Pegasus: businessinsider.com/pegasus-nso-gr…
Q: Why did so many people come to Tijuana? Because of relative safety, says @tijuanapress. Because of more developed infrastructure, says @msrikris.
God I hope I’m tagging the right people in this thread lol
Civil society is helping a lot, all along the border, says @GmoAriasC. “But I don’t see how to be positive. It’s only going to get worse... It’s really complicated.” It is.
The theme of this panel seems to be: “It’s complicated.” Heh. Yes.
Wrapping up the panel now. Thanks to all who followed along!
