Suzanne Conti Martin posts-It has been 11 days since I returned from border. I would be lying if I didn't say that I am having a tough time processing what I witnessed. It will take some time. Many people have been asking me "so, what was it like at the border?" 1/12
I was at a fundraiser the other night. A woman kept asking me "come on! what was it like?? I want to hear about it".. but I find myself brushing off the question, giving a 1 sentence answer like "oh, it was a great experience" and then I swallow hard and change the subject.2/12
When I do start to talk about it, I get emotional and can't go into details. Many of you know I have worked at a crisis shelter for children in Tucson. I have spent years volunteering at the Lighthouse shelter to feed those in need in Annapolis.3/12
But nothing prepared me for what I saw in Matamoros. So many children-it took my breath away. I remember 1 night choking back tears after dishing up probably the 200th plate of food only to look up & see that the line of people looked just as long as it did an hour prior.4/12
So many little children-dirty, with big eyes looking up at us. I walked through the camps & at one point I saw many men surrounding a man who had a dislocated shoulder. He was in a great amount of pain. I looked around-who do you even call? Who can they call?? Seriously??5/12
They are the forgotten people. They are people who have fled their own countries yet nobody wants them. The Mexican government tolerates their presence but their patience is wearing thin. Last weekend, I received text messages from a man inside the camp who said...6/12
...that Mexican authorities showed up & said that if they didnt move to another location, their children would be taken away from them. Meanwhile, the U.S. Government hopes that Americans forget about them-Let's keep these "criminals" in Mexico.7/12
Well, I have to believe they have made a calculated mistake. Amazingly, Americans are travelling from all across the country, taking the risk every, single day to walk into a Level 4 Security Zone, into one of the most dangerous cities in the world, to show asylum seekers...8/12
...our most vulnerable men, women & children that we are NOT forgetting them. At the end of each evening as we walked towards the bridge with our now empty wagons, little children would grab the handles of our wagons and eagerly walk us towards the bridge.9/12
When we reached the turnstile, I would pull a quarter & nickel out of my pocket to put in the machine so the turnstile would open & let me through to walk back over the bridge to the American side.10/12
This is where the children would then hand us back our wagons & wave goodbye to us. It seemed so wrong... these families had fled everything to come to theU.S. to seek asylum & start a new life.11/12
These were the tired, poor huddled masses yearning to breathe free & yet all I needed was my passport, a quarter & a damn nickel to walk back across that bridge. #WitnessTornillo #TargetMPP #Jan2020 #WeMoveAsOne 12/12
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