El. knyga: Voices of the Border: Testimonios of Migration, Deportation, and Asylum

"Migrants, refugees and deportees live through harrowing situations, yet not much is widely known about their experiences. Politicians and commentators mischaracterize and demonize, herald border crises, and speculate about who people are and how they live. This book reflects a desire to communicate their perspectives and experiences. Each one of them goes through the emotional and psychological intensity of alternating motion and stillness. They live through this cycle, and then relive it again and again through memory. Yet these memories are rarely shared. This book emerged as a collaboration between people affiliated-via professional, vocational, religious, and humanitarian commitments, all deeply personal-with the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), a Jesuit-run migration advocacy organization based in Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora. KBI runs several programs in Mexico and the United States, especially in Nogales, Sonora, by providing services, such as meals, health care, and political and economic aid, to migrants, deportees, and refugees. This book is envisioned as a resource for those who seek to understand the stories of migrants , as well as the cycles of migration, deportation, and political asylum; the public policies that act upon them; and the consequences of these dynamics. This book is not intended to be a scholarly examination of the migrant crisis. Rather, it is an important collection of the first-hand experience of migrants and a tribute to the work of the staff and volunteers at the Kino Border Initiative"--

Powerful personal accounts from migrants crossing the US–Mexico border provide an understanding of their experiences, as well as the consequences of public policy

Powerful personal accounts from migrants crossing the US–Mexico border provide an understanding of their experiences, as well as the consequences of public policy

Migrants, refugees, and deportees live through harrowing situations, yet their personal stories are often ignored. While politicians and commentators mischaracterize and demonize, herald border crises, and speculate about who people are and how they live, the actual memories of migrants are rarely shared. In the tradition of oral storytelling, Voices of the Border reproduces the stories migrants have told, offering a window onto both individual and shared experiences of crossing the US–Mexico border.

This collection emerged from interviews conducted by the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), a Jesuit organization that provides humanitarian assistance and advocates for migrants. Based in Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora—twin border cities connected by shared histories, geographies, economies, and cultures—the editors and their colleagues documented migrants’ testimonios to amplify their voices. These personal narratives of lived experiences, presented in the original Spanish with English translations, bring us closer to these individuals’ strength, love, and courage in the face of hardship and injustice. Short introductions written by migrant advocates, humanitarian workers, religious leaders, and scholars provide additional context at the beginning of each chapter.

These powerful stories help readers better understand migrants' experiences, as well as the consequences of public policy for their community.

Royalties from the sale of the book go to the Kino Border Initiative.