Our second day of service (and fourth day together) was spent in the Humane Borders headquarters helping Betzi with renovations. Fortunately, we were able to sleep in until about 6:30, which was leisurely compared to our 4:45 wake-up time the day before.
The first thing we did upon our arrival was watch a video over the first ten years of the thirteen-year-old organization. It reiterated many of the points that Betzi and Karl had made, but also made some new points. It gave our group some insight to the legal battle that Humane Borders had to go through just to be able to perform their mission. Not only are there the Minutemen vigilantes opposing their mission, but also the state of Arizona has certain qualms with it. Some of the politicians that opposed the operation thought that providing water and other forms of aid to migrants crossing the border would encourage others to do the same. Betzi, however, noted that this is not at all the case. Each barrel of water put out by Humane Borders is topped with a sticker that discourages crossing the desert. Simply put, people are going to cross the border regardless of whether or not there are water stations, but by providing them, we can reduce the number of deaths.
The rest of our day was spent painting walls, scraping glue, and sweeping floors of a building rented out by Humane Borders. Once the renovation is complete, lodging will be available at the site for future volunteers.
After finishing the day’s service, our group went to a park, had a fantastic Taco Tuesday dinner, and about half then went salsa dancing.
Everyday here is a new experience with my group and Humane Borders, and each is unique and special.
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