Doesn't matter we are separated; we are all humans!
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**Two Cities, One Community**

Good afternoon,

Last week I traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time. One
of the initial conversations I had when I arrived at my hotel in El
Paso, TX was with Frank, a young man from Ciudad Juarez who works in El
Paso and commutes everyday back-and-forth to serve customers in a local
restaurant. As Frank was checking on our food order and serving us, he
was curious to know why my colleagues and I were there. He asked us
about the type of work we do and the purpose of our visit to the El
Paso-Juarez region. Once we expressed that we were there to learn--
raise awareness about realities at the border
<[link removed]>,
and advocate for immigration reform <[link removed]> -- Frank
smiled gladly and told us not to forget that although there is a massive
wall between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, the people there are one
community and, in many cases, one family. It is in fact his community
and his family that are divided
<[link removed]> by the
border wall.

Frank repeatedly said that he is lucky to be able to travel between the
two cities, while many suffer tremendously and even die just trying to
cross. I experienced that myself. My American passport (which I obtained
only six years ago, after nearly a decade of fearing for my life having
fled Syria) allowed me to cross easily and with dignity, unlike
thousands of migrants stranded
<[link removed]> at
the U.S.-Mexico border or millions of Syrians
<[link removed]> struggling to find
refuge.

People in the El Paso-Juarez region have witnessed their lives change
dramatically as a result of everchanging
<[link removed]> policies,
regulations, and legislations enacted in Washington, D.C., where I
currently live. I was curious to learn more from Frank and others I met
during my visit. And I spent most of the time listening and observing in
an attempt to comprehend this ongoing human tragedy.

As an immigrant myself, who is familiar with border dynamics, war,
immigration, and human suffering, I was not surprised by what I saw and
heard in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. What surprised me was the countless
parallels between this border region and others that I've encountered
previously all the way across the globe. Flashbacks from a Turkey-Syria
border visit I made a few years ago haunted me throughout this trip to
the U.S.-Mexico border. All I could think about is how similar the human
tragedies are; families separated, parents detained or missing or
killed, children abandoned, and everyone in search of their basic human
rights and a dignified life.

During the trip, I was fortunate to engage with Customs and Border
Protection officers, migrant shelter staff, United Nations personnel,
and local community leaders who shared similar ideals and missions in
wanting to help change current ineffective immigration and asylum
regulations, and broken border policies
<[link removed]>.
My colleagues and I listened to their struggles acknowledging the
countless systematic limitations they wrestle with every single day.
Yet, they all assured us that they are doing their best and asked us to
convey and amplify those concerns in Washington, D.C. and beyond.

It should never be "us" and "them." It should always be the collective
"we." We are all connected beyond border walls and barbed wire fences.
And if we truly comprehend this reality, we could genuinely help each
other and alleviate this shared human suffering
<[link removed]>.
Because when migrants and immigrants thrive, we all thrive. At the end
of the day, we are all immigrants. So, I urge you to help those on the
margins by demanding <[link removed]> meaningful and
comprehensive immigration reform. Congress and the White House must act
to give migrants and their families the dignity they deserve by passing
legislation that affirms that. That is our responsibility as humans.
That is the bare minimum. 

Stay healthy and hopeful,

Oula Alrifai

**Oula Alrifai**
Assistant Vice President of Field and Constituencies
National Immigration Forum 

**NEWS CLIPS TO NOTE:**

**WASHINGTON POST: **Protected immigrants at risk of losing U.S. work
permits
<[link removed]>

**FRONTERAS: **Mexico announces the end of 'Remain in Mexico' 2
months after U.S. began wind down
<[link removed]>

**FOX BUSINESS: **Labor Secretary Walsh warns of economic
'catastrophe' if Congress doesn't pass immigration reform
<[link removed]>

**BORDER REPORT: **Lawsuit alleges ICE denies migrants legal counsel at
4 detention facilities
<[link removed]>

**AP NEWS: **US Border Patrol sends migrants places where no help waits
<[link removed]>

 

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