Still Going…

Print created by multi-disciplinary artist and author, Shaun Slifer. Words by me. circa 2011 Most people do not realize that Macho B was the first jaguar that died because of U.S southern border infrastructure and border wall plans. Portions of his home near Nogales, AZ and Sasabe, AZ had border walls built during his lifetime, …

RUBY

What the feather! Ruby wondered if she had made a mistake? Had she veered off course? Ruby looked over her green-feathered shoulder. She could see where she had come from—far off in the distance was the glimmer of water sparkling in the sun. She replayed her annual migratory route in her head: buzzing over green …

Origins of the “Border” Gestapo

September 11, 2001 was the origin for the current state of affairs in the U.S. Back then, the terrorists were granted travel, business, and one student visa by the U.S. State Department and the nation's national security advisor, Condoleezza Rice was privy to or had been directly briefed about Osama Bin Laden's plans to infiltrate …

Fast Response

My first experience working along the U.S./MX border was as an intern at the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Sasabe, AZ in 2001. Back then, just like now, Border Patrol agents never patrolled the border but preferred to patrol the interior of the U.S, usually several miles north of the international line. It was …

Perspective from Duke

"If you can't be thankful for what you have, be thankful for what you have escaped." John Wayne was known as a tough character who spoke his mind. When he visited the Sasabe, AZ border wall last year with me and a group of guests from the dude ranch where I worked, the quote about …

Bear Aware: Sinclair’s Border Encounter

This is Sinclair. He has dual citizenship but was swarmed by 3 Border Patrol units and a helicopter while trying to get to another portion of his home. They said he was trespassing but the Arizona state "No Trespassing" statute posted on the federally owned border wall located on the federally owned "Roosevelt Reservation" being …

Debunking Myths About the Southern Border

As the new administration in Washington continues to hype up the fear and bias concerning the southern border, don't believe it. This photo was taken west of the Sasabe, AZ port of entry on 1-26-25. Where is the national emergency? The southern border is not a monolith. Applying blanket descriptions and fear mongering does nothing …

Madonna and Child

janay brun Last night in darkness lit by the milky way and a sudden, waving phone light I had to tell a woman, a mother, and her approximately two-year-old child that I could not give them a ride to safety because in this country, the United States, it is considered smuggling, and I could get …

Rope Swing

On the northern side of a wall, bounded cloth ties wave in unison, inviting dreams of peace and prosperity to land unbroken, on the fruitful soil below, fertilized with centuries worth of hope and blood.

The Cruelty of Fear

They fade in and out of view. Small, dark figures ebb and flow along a hardpacked rollercoaster-styled sandy road. Beyond their vision of the blown-off Fresnal Peak that now scars the horizon with the chalky guts of the mountain is a water truck spraying the earth for dust control. On federal land, men dressed in …