Powerful stories of migrants' experiences reveal the painful consequences of public policy
Voices of the Border documents testimonios—first-person narratives—of migration, deportation, and asylum-seeking in and around Nogales, a city of a quarter-million inhabitants on Mexico's northern border. In this updated and expanded edition, individuals recount life on the move to find work, flee violence, or reunite with family, as well as the effects of U.S. and Mexican government immigration enforcement that complicate movement, forcing people to either move again or become immobile. In addition, chapter introductions written by migrant advocates, humanitarian aid workers, religious leaders, and scholars examine various political influences, including the Trump and Biden administrations, evolving nation-state power, shifting immigration laws and policies, the squeeze of global capitalism, diverse familial and financial situations, persistent faith, and the ways that people respond to those powers.
In tracing the routes travelled to and from Nogales—in the United States, Mexico, the Central American region, and beyond—Voices permits insight into linkages between the histories, regions, local geographies, economies, and cultures that both emerge from and shape human movements. The testimonios in this volume amplify the voices of those who are mobile, expanding understandings of what it means to be stuck or on the move, and redefining whose perspectives and experiences matter.
Reviews
"There is a reason why Jesus taught in parables. Stories can move hearts in a way that arguments, definitions, and statistics cannot. This remarkable book of testimonies from migrants, along with commentary from those who work with them, paints a vivid portrait of the human condition. These stories, by turns heartbreaking, infuriating and moving, will enable readers to see migrants in a new way, as they come to know them not simply as a political issue but as human beings with rich and complicated lives—like all of us. Open this book and encounter some contemporary parables. And then let your heart be opened."—James Martin, SJ, author, Jesus: A Pilgrimage and Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone
"Voices of the Border springs from the exemplary witness and work of the binational Kino Border Initiative. The volume's insightful framing essays and testimonios contextualize the complex issue of migration, offer a powerful counternarrative to demonizing misconceptions, and—most significantly—center migrants' own voices. Its thematic approach and accessible prose make the dynamic and informative volume valuable for use with undergraduate and graduate courses, immersion trips, or civic and religious groups."—Kristin E. Heyer, professor of theological ethics and Joseph Chair in Theology, Boston College
"A moving portrayal of immigrant struggles, hopes, and determination. These powerful testimonios lift up the voices and stories of 'the forgotten people' demanding to be heard. A labor of love and social justice, the authors legitimize the lives lived while asking readers to engage in our shared humanity."—Susana Rivera-Mills, president, Aurora University
"Voices of the Border masterfully interweaves the powerful testimonios of migrants at the Sonora-Arizona border with the literatures on immigration, border enforcement, immigrant criminalization, and Latin American history. The editors and contributors place the humanity and dignity of the lives of those with whom they spoke at the forefront of the volume. Voices of the Border is a must-read for immigration scholars, activists, policymakers, and members of faith-based organizations."—Daniel E. Martínez, associate professor of sociology, distinguished scholar, and codirector of the Binational Migration Institute, University of Arizona
"In this must-read book, the voices of migrants provide an essential roadmap for change. This collection models a polyvocal commitment to social justice and presents an alternative path: by following the lead of those directly impacted, brutal US policies can be replaced with discourse and actions that ensure the dignity of all human beings."—Deborah A. Boehm, Foundation Professor of Anthropology and Gender, Race, and Identity, University of Nevada, Reno, author of Returned: Going and Coming in an Age of Deportation
About the Author
Tobin Hansen is associate teaching professor of anthropology at the University of Oregon's Robert D. Clark Honors College who researches human population movements, state power, and social identities. He has been a volunteer at KBI since 2014.
María Engracia Robles Robles is a Missionary Sister of the Eucharist and feedback coordinator at KBI. She is the author of Las últimas serán las primeras: El discipulado de las mujeres en los Evangelios.
