Arizona Justice for Our Neighbors (AZJFON) Virtual Border Education and Anti-Racism Workshop
To register for an upcoming virtual trip, please contact Scott Morris at scottwmorris47@gmail.com.
AZJFON has developed a virtual version of our in-person Border Education Trips. We are based in Tucson, Arizona where many local non-profit organizations partner with faith communities from all faiths, local government agencies and local immigrants to create positive change. We strive to promote more humane immigration policies, expose people from across the country to the realities of border issues, and to provide legal services to help immigrants work within U.S. immigration law.
In upcoming virtual trips, four of our local partners will provide an in-depth picture of the challenges facing those who seek to come to our country through various means.
Schedule for next trip:
Thursday, Feb 11, 2021 11:00 am to 12:30 MST – Cruzando Fronteras
Thursday, Feb 18, same time – Humane Borders
Thursday, Feb 25, same time – Pima County Medical Examiner
Thursday, Mar 4, same time – Colibrí Center for Human Rights
We ask trip participants who are able and willing to support this effort to donate to the continuation and expansion of this effort.
We have received a small grant to help initiate this program. $100 donations will enable increased advocacy work, but smaller and larger gifts are welcome.
We also encourage those who desire to support the work of our partners.
The Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office is a county program and does not accept donations, but they work closely with Humane Borders and Colibri Center for Human Rights.
More about the Presenters
Cruzando Fronteras, which is an ecumenical organization formed by three Christian denominations, runs a shelter for asylum-seekers waiting in Nogales, Mexico for an opportunity to apply for asylum in the U.S. They provide a first-hand view of their shelter and their clients as well as insight into the decisions that these people face as they decide their next steps. Check out their website: fronteras.azdiocese.org
Humane Borders, which has a 20-year history of installing and maintaining water stations in remote areas of the Arizona desert, was formed in 2000 at First Christian, Disciples of Christ, Church in Tucson. 
They locate the water stations on public or private land with the full permission of the landowners. Volunteers travel on a regular basis to check on the water stations, monitor usage and refill the water barrels. Other volunteers work closely with the Pima County Medical Examiner and law enforcement agencies to record the exact locations and any known information about those who die in the desert. Their website is humaneborders.org
The Pima County Medical Examiner is responsible for examining the deaths of anyone who dies within three Arizona border counties who is determined to be someone crossing the border without documentation. This is the only area in the county where this work is done along a wide area of the U.S. border. The Medical Examiner takes us through their work to attempt to determine identification and cause of death of each person. He discusses the unique challenges that his staff face in this work and the efforts to be able to provide information to family members of those who die. Go to https://webcms.pima.gov/government/medical_examiner/ for more information.
Colibrí Center for Human Rights works closely with the Pima County Medical Examiner and partner organizations in the U.S. and globally to help families learn what has happed to their loved ones who have disappeared during an attempt to enter the U.S. They work with networks of people who have lost family members in the desert to learn who is looking for their lost relatives. They also work with the local sources to find clues that will help them locate the families of people who have died. Using DNA and other means they have achieved an impressive track record in linking families with lost loved ones. Their website is colibricenter.org
AZJFON will enhance these presentations with information about the ever-changing U.S. immigration policy way that it intersects with racism and other factors.
