Friday, November 4th

We are leaving the Catholic retreat center this morning, and for the next several days we will be staying at the facility for Borderlinks, an organization begun in part by a Presbyterian minister. I am sad to leave this retreat center. It has been a time of healing and renewal in this place, particularly as a result of some extended time for prayer and worship each afternoon.

Today promises to be eye-opening. After lunch, we are planning to visit the Federal Court here in Tucson to experience first-hand a new initiative called Operation Streamline. This program was initiated in order to deal with the significant number of individuals seeking to cross the border into the US, combined with the United States recent push to deter illegal immigration into the US. As I understand it, the first seventy individuals who are caught by the Border Patrol trying to cross illegally are gathered together, processed and tried in Federal Court.

A lot of people have told me to expect seeing a large group of Mexican men and women standing before a judge with no understanding of what is being said to them.

After the judge declares a verdict, I believe the group is then deported in mass.

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