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Initial thoughts on the Death of Josseline
Submitted by Phillip Lund on Tue, 10/19/2010 - 2:50pm
The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona Borderlands, by Margaret Regan.
The book tells the story of one young woman who was determined to come to the United States to seek work and the tragic end she met. Other chapters in the book detail efforts to support local enterprise in the home town of those who had thought of coming north, as well as focusing on the efforts of those who are working to find the seekers and deport them, or find the seekers and support their efforts to reach this country.
Welcome!
Welcome to our online forum! Here we can have an online conversation about the book that we've chosen for PSD Reads: The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona Borderlands. The book is available from the UUA Bookstore www.uua.org/bookstore or at Amazon and other online and local booksellers. We hope you will read along and post comments as you read. And please join us at the District Annual Conference April 8 - 10, in Des Moines, for more discussion and activities. Meanwhile, welcome to this forum!
Share Your Thoughts: Prologue & Introduction, Chapters 1 & 2
Here's a question from the Discussion Guide for Unitarian Universalist Groups reading The Death of Josseline:
The Prologue of the book tells the story of 15-year-old Josseline Jamileth Hernández Quinteros’ fatal journey to the Sonoran Desert. We are introduced to agencies and organizations, workers and activists involved in the search for and recovery of her body. The Introduction gives an overview of the reasons hundreds of thousands of people annually try to cross the Arizona desert on foot and describes political, governmental, and individual responses to that reality.
Chapter 1 relates the journey of cousins Ismael Vasquez Vasquez and Silverio Huinil Vail from a remote Guatemalan village to the Arizona-Sonora borderlands, a 9 journey resulting in Silverio’s death and Ismael’s voluntary surrender. It explores what life is like in Douglas, Arizona, a town directly on a pedestrian immigration route and takes us along to witness the work of Border Patrol Agent Edmundo Moncayo.
Chapter 2 visits the Mexican side of the border, relating the stories of Café Justo, a family-owned, fair trade coffee coöp with income that sustains 35 families, and a church that embraces a “border ministry.”
Question: Of all of the stories and people, which remain with you after the reading? Why?
Response
Josseline is most memorable months after reading the book. My heart is always with middle-school aged children. How could anyone justify policy that leads to such needless death?
I am also motivated to know what we can do as citizens to change USA policy. President Obama's ending the virtual surveillance is a first step. Being informed will help us move toward understanding social justice. What will move us toward social action?
Speakers at First Society in the Fall in Madison argued for going to the border and being a part of the work that Presbyterians,Unitarian Universalist and other people of faith are doing. Are there other avenues to stop the deaths that Josseline represents?
I am also struck by the book cover used in this start-up by Rev. Lund. Seems to me that the hardback book featured flowers and religious symbols as part of the cover? Has there been a change in this version.
Seems to me that we need to do our best to act on Sophia Lyon Fahs call that "Life becomes religious whenever we make it so...."
Tom in WI
RE: Response
Thanks for your comment, Tom. I had a similar response myself. Policies that result in the deaths of so many people are indefensible. And you're right about the book cover. I'm looking at the hardback version, and it does have a picture of a little shrine to Josseline. Not sure why they changed the cover for the paperback.
Josseline is most moving
This story establishes the heartache , the misguided policy and the religious aspect of this work.
RE: Josseline is most moving
Agreed. I think Margaret Regan did an excellent job as a reporter finding the most moving story she could to highlight the tragic nature of this country's immigration policies.
The Human as a Survivor
The one thing that remains with me after reading all 3 of the books in the PSD Reads program is the human drive to survive. All of the books, and most certainly The Death of Josseline, helped me to see that the people who go north and cross the border into the US are doing so because it is their last hope to find a way to provide for their families. They do not do it because they want to break the laws, or "pull a fast one" on someone...they are desperate to survive and provide for those they love. It is their way to stand on the side of love and a matter of life or death.
RE: The Human as a Survivor
Those left behind
The stories of the immigrants are compelling, and it's difficult to read about their struggles. I find myself, however, wondering about the people they left at home -- their wives or husbands, their children, their parents. As a spouse and a mother, I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to have my husband or son leave for the North and not to be able to know, for weeks or months, whether he is safe or whether he is still walking, whether he's been captured and is being confined somewhere or got dropped off across the border in some faraway place, or even whether he is still alive. The uncertainty would be almost too much to bear.
Most impressed by the case of Josseline
Josseline remains with me because she is an example of misguided US policy. Why would any policy maker wish to create a situation that allows a middle school aged child to die in the dessert? What can we do politically?
What can we do in a religious sense?Are there paths other than going to the border as many of our religious brothers and sisters are doing? I am thankful to the Presbyterians,Unitarian Universalists and others doing this work. They understand that "Life becomes religious whenever we make it so.." (Sophia Lyon Fahs). How do we make the case of Josseline and the others religious work?
Tom in WI
RE: Most impressed by the case of Josseline
"What can we do politically? What can we do in a religious sense?" These certainly are the pressing questions that get raised by this book. I'm proud of the work the UUA is doing, especially through the Standing on the Side of Love movement.
Reflections on Chapters 3-6
Thanks to everyone who made comments on our first study questions. Here's a brief summary of chapters 3-6 with some questions for further reflection:
In Chapter 3, we read about a town in Sonora with cheap hotels and shops that cater to migrants and we hear about the patchwork of volunteers and Mexican government services that feed and shelter those who need help.
Chapter 4 introduces the rough terrain and fragile ecosystem of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge, now crisscrossed with migrant trails. We read of the rescue of Marta, thanks to the migrant family who turned themselves in to seek help for her and to the effort and expertise of BORSTAR agents.
In Chapter 5, we read about the work of No More Deaths activists and others, including author Byrd Baylor, who provide water and humanitarian aid to migrants in the desert.
Chapter 6 depicts the twin towns of Nogales and how each has been affected by the border wall between them. We meet Mike, a Border Patrol agent who tracks and arrests undocumented migrants.
Please share your reflections on one or both of the following questions:
Josseline
We had the good fortune in my congregation to have the wife and mother-in-law of a man who crossed the desert, in our group. He met his wife-to-be while both were working at a restaurant. After living here for eight years he returned to Mexico so he could legally apply for residency with his wife in the U.S. His chances were 50-50, but he was successful. He now has his green card. Still, if his wife should die, he and the couple's young son would be deported back to Mexico. That was eye-opening and jaw-dropping for many of us.
He sends money home to his mother and two siblings who have used it to fix up their inadequate house and attend college. I read that the third largest income source in Mexico is remittances, behind petroleum and tourism revenue.
Yes, Don, many families in
Yes, Don, many families in other countries count on the money that comes from family members here in the U. S.
Chapter 4 of The Death of Josseline tells the story of Marta Gomez Garcia, who left Honduras to find work in the U. S. after her husband disappeared trying to make the trip. Marta said that Honduras is bonito pero pobre [pretty but poor]. She left her two small sons in the care of a relative and headed out. She explained that her sons might not have a mother or a father to raise them, but they would have enough to eat.
What a difficult choice for a parent to have to make -- to stay at home with the children and watch them suffer from hunger or to leave them behind to earn money to send for their care.
Postville raid resource
Congregations studying immigration issues might find useful a new DVD on the infamous ICE raid on the meat packing plant at Postville, Iowa in 2008. The raid resulted in nearly 400 arrests of immigrant workers. Many served five months in prison before being deported.
The 96-minute film, abUSed – the Postville Raid, was filmed at Postville and in Guatemala after the raid. A DVD of the film for personal use is $23. The price for faith-based communities begins at $100 depending on size of the community and ability to pay. Contact the Postville Raid blogspot orabusethepostvilleraid [dot] sales [at] gmail [dot] com.
The Northeast Iowa Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Decorah, Iowa is the closest UU congregation to Postville. Sue Otte, program chair at NEIUUF, has said the fellowship was very involved in supporting some of the people arrested, and their families. She is encouraging UUs to see this film.
Postville raid source-Don is too modest-Here is a fuller story
Postville immigration raid video available
Posted in Resources on March 11th, 2011 by Don Skinner – Comments Off
Congregations studying immigration issues now have another resource. An independent film has been made about the infamous U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid on a meat packing plant in Postville, Iowa, on May 12, 2008. The raid resulted in nearly 400 arrests of immigrant workers. Many served five months in prison before being deported. The 96-minute film, abUSed—the Postville Raid, was filmed at Postville and in Guatemala after the raid.
The Northeast Iowa Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Decorah, Iowa, is the closest UU congregation to Postville. Sue Otte, program chair at the congregation, said the fellowship helped out in the raid’s aftermath:
The fellowship did a three-weeks series of programs on immigration this winter.
A DVD of the film for personal use is $23. The price for faith-based communities begins at $100 depending on the size of the community and ability to pay.
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