Border Crossing Visioning Meeting
By Keighton Allen
On September 16, 2016 the Hunt Institute for Global Competitiveness and the Center for Inter-American Border Studies hosted an interdisciplinary meeting at UTEP. Various researchers presented their work on border crossing data and challenges in the Paso del Norte region. The goal of this meeting was to identify the issues the region faces, foster dialogue between people of Juarez and El Paso, fill in the gaps in data and research, and envision the structures that are necessary to enrich this border community.
The presenters were an amalgamation of researchers, professors, students, and professionals from a variety of disciplines, notably: Representatives from Senator Rodriguez’s office, Congressmen O’Rourke’s office, the Economic Development Department of El Paso, American Civil Liberties Union, and Patrick Schaefer of the Hunt Institute. Below is a description of the highlights from these researchers’ presentations.
Patrick Schaefer of the Hunt Institute
Schaefer opened by noting the significance of our region. The Paso del Norte region serves as a major gateway for the movement of goods and services. People today are looking for what the early European explorers where looking for: the Atlantic and Pacific trade routes. Because of this, there is a convergence of industrial activity, culture, language, and demographics here at the border. There are few other trade route that are as efficient the Borderplex’s, because of the existence of East to West trade routes along I-40 and I-10, as well as North to South movement in Mexico.
The junction of East to West and North to South trade routes are a result of Spanish conquest and the Anglo-American ideology of Manifest Destiny. The clash of Iberian and Anglo-Saxon ideals on the border creates issues of human rights, justice, economic development, resource allocation, and labor rights. Residents of the Paso Del Norte region live all of theses issues on a daily basis at the local level, but city government have little autonomy and resources to deal with these problems. These challenges become even more difficult to handle, because three cities (El Paso, Las Cruces, and Juarez) and two countries (U.s and Mexico) must collaborate with one another.
In light of this, the Hunt Institute’s purpose is to elucidate the structure of national and region resources, healthcare, education, and economic and social development policies. The Hunt Institute provides a common frame of reference by producing indicators reviews, data reviews, and maps of geothermal and solar power plants, as well as national gas terminals and pipelines throughout the Paso del Norte region. The institute’s Trans-boundary Impact Model measures the economic impact from the counties of El Paso, Donna Ana, and the State of Chihuahua.
Paulina Lopez from Senator Rodriguez’s office
Lopez discussed the Senator’s strategies for the improvement of border infrastructure, like BECC’s and NADBANK’s infrastructure fund projects. The Senator visualizes creating a unified campaign for economic development at the border. In order to gain funding for the border, relationships between state officials and with Mexico must be established. This is difficult, because even though the state is now playing a role in border security, border crossings are a federal jurisdiction.
Senator Rodriguez also wants to see a change in perceptions about border communities by promoting the opportunities and jobs in the Paso del Norte, encouraging funding, and strengthening bi-national relations. Lopez closed with announcing the success of the Senator gaining funding for a border project during the 84th Legislature.
Mario Porras from Congressmen O’Rourke’s office
Porras detailed how the Congressman’s goal for El Paso bridges is to be the image of efficiency for border crossings in terms of customer services and wait times. He underlined the need for both El Paso and Juarez officials to collaborate in this process. The Congressmen’s office has begun a social media campaign called #EPbridges in order to collect the experiences of those who cross El Paso bridges.
Matthew McElroy of El Paso International Bridge
McElroy presented on his department’s app called Metropia. This app uses crowdsourcing in order for users to view points of entry (POE) wait times and the best routes at bridges on the border. This app encourages people to take short routes by giving them points, which they can redeem for gift cards.
Cynthia Pompa from American Civil Liberties Union
Pompa presented documentation of harassment and experiences of abuse at border crossings. One story detailed how one woman was detained at a POE and later subjected to an abusive cavity search at a hospital. ACLU was able to win this victim a $1 million settlement.
Additionally, during a 6-month span in 2015, the ACLU documented 150 cases of abuse at POE, 30 of which occurred in El Paso. Pompa said that documenting cases was difficult because many victims feared retaliation from border officials. These cases included unjustified detaining, handcuffing, cavity searches, damaged property, and one case in which a minor, who had a broken arm before passing through a POE, was roughly pulled out a car by an officer, and his arm was further injured as a result. Pompa closed by discussing the importance of people reporting cases of abuse and knowing their rights, whether they’re citizens or not.
Closing Remarks
A wealth of knowledge was provided by presenters on a variety of issues faced by the Paso del Norte region. After the presentations there was small group break out session in which each group discussed a topic and suggested solutions for the most pressing problems such as health, pollution, and border wait times. The meetings closed with an invitation for these researchers to meet again in the near future to further discuss and attempt solve the issues faced by residents here on the border.
The presenters were an amalgamation of researchers, professors, students, and professionals from a variety of disciplines, notably: Representatives from Senator Rodriguez’s office, Congressmen O’Rourke’s office, the Economic Development Department of El Paso, American Civil Liberties Union, and Patrick Schaefer of the Hunt Institute. Below is a description of the highlights from these researchers’ presentations.
Patrick Schaefer of the Hunt Institute
Schaefer opened by noting the significance of our region. The Paso del Norte region serves as a major gateway for the movement of goods and services. People today are looking for what the early European explorers where looking for: the Atlantic and Pacific trade routes. Because of this, there is a convergence of industrial activity, culture, language, and demographics here at the border. There are few other trade route that are as efficient the Borderplex’s, because of the existence of East to West trade routes along I-40 and I-10, as well as North to South movement in Mexico.
The junction of East to West and North to South trade routes are a result of Spanish conquest and the Anglo-American ideology of Manifest Destiny. The clash of Iberian and Anglo-Saxon ideals on the border creates issues of human rights, justice, economic development, resource allocation, and labor rights. Residents of the Paso Del Norte region live all of theses issues on a daily basis at the local level, but city government have little autonomy and resources to deal with these problems. These challenges become even more difficult to handle, because three cities (El Paso, Las Cruces, and Juarez) and two countries (U.s and Mexico) must collaborate with one another.
In light of this, the Hunt Institute’s purpose is to elucidate the structure of national and region resources, healthcare, education, and economic and social development policies. The Hunt Institute provides a common frame of reference by producing indicators reviews, data reviews, and maps of geothermal and solar power plants, as well as national gas terminals and pipelines throughout the Paso del Norte region. The institute’s Trans-boundary Impact Model measures the economic impact from the counties of El Paso, Donna Ana, and the State of Chihuahua.
Paulina Lopez from Senator Rodriguez’s office
Lopez discussed the Senator’s strategies for the improvement of border infrastructure, like BECC’s and NADBANK’s infrastructure fund projects. The Senator visualizes creating a unified campaign for economic development at the border. In order to gain funding for the border, relationships between state officials and with Mexico must be established. This is difficult, because even though the state is now playing a role in border security, border crossings are a federal jurisdiction.
Senator Rodriguez also wants to see a change in perceptions about border communities by promoting the opportunities and jobs in the Paso del Norte, encouraging funding, and strengthening bi-national relations. Lopez closed with announcing the success of the Senator gaining funding for a border project during the 84th Legislature.
Mario Porras from Congressmen O’Rourke’s office
Porras detailed how the Congressman’s goal for El Paso bridges is to be the image of efficiency for border crossings in terms of customer services and wait times. He underlined the need for both El Paso and Juarez officials to collaborate in this process. The Congressmen’s office has begun a social media campaign called #EPbridges in order to collect the experiences of those who cross El Paso bridges.
Matthew McElroy of El Paso International Bridge
McElroy presented on his department’s app called Metropia. This app uses crowdsourcing in order for users to view points of entry (POE) wait times and the best routes at bridges on the border. This app encourages people to take short routes by giving them points, which they can redeem for gift cards.
Cynthia Pompa from American Civil Liberties Union
Pompa presented documentation of harassment and experiences of abuse at border crossings. One story detailed how one woman was detained at a POE and later subjected to an abusive cavity search at a hospital. ACLU was able to win this victim a $1 million settlement.
Additionally, during a 6-month span in 2015, the ACLU documented 150 cases of abuse at POE, 30 of which occurred in El Paso. Pompa said that documenting cases was difficult because many victims feared retaliation from border officials. These cases included unjustified detaining, handcuffing, cavity searches, damaged property, and one case in which a minor, who had a broken arm before passing through a POE, was roughly pulled out a car by an officer, and his arm was further injured as a result. Pompa closed by discussing the importance of people reporting cases of abuse and knowing their rights, whether they’re citizens or not.
Closing Remarks
A wealth of knowledge was provided by presenters on a variety of issues faced by the Paso del Norte region. After the presentations there was small group break out session in which each group discussed a topic and suggested solutions for the most pressing problems such as health, pollution, and border wait times. The meetings closed with an invitation for these researchers to meet again in the near future to further discuss and attempt solve the issues faced by residents here on the border.