THE BUFFETT PROJECT: CHILDREN OF THE BORDERLANDS

A team of five photojournalism students from ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication traveled to the Borderlands to produce a photo essay on the region's children. The photos featured on this site were taken by ASU student Jeremiah Armenta. The project was funded by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

2007 Media Fellowship Program

Tuesday, Feb. 6

7:45 a.m. Gather in the Mission Palms Hotel or Marriott Courtyard lobbies for escort to ASU. Study sessions will be held in the Memorial Union Gold Room 203.

8:15-9 a.m. Welcome Breakfast: Raul Yzaguirre, Presidential Professor of Practice in Community Development and Civil Rights, College of Public Programs
Raul Yzaguirre, former president and chief executive officer of the National Council of La Raza and one of the most widely recognized national leaders in the Hispanic community, will welcome the group with personal and professional reflections on the current U.S. immigration debate.

9-10 a.m. The History of U.S. Immigration: Brian Gratton, Professor of History, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
This discussion will focus on the history of the people who have immigrated to the United States, and compare today's immigrants with groups that have come before.

10:15-11:15 a.m. Immigration Law in the United States: Evelyn Haydee Cruz, Associate Clinical Professor and Director of the Immigration Clinic , Sandra Day O' Connor College of Law
Professor Cruz will give an historical perspective of immigration law in the United States, as well discuss what ingredients are needed today for successful reform

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. – Local Police, Deportation and Crime Victims Afraid to Call 911: Orde Félix Kittrie, Associate Professor, Sandra Day O' Connor College of Law
Undocumented immigrants are "perfect victims" for unscrupulous employers, battering spouses, fraud perpetrators, and other criminals because such immigrants fear that turning to local police for protection would result in their deportation by federal immigration authorities.  In an effort to encourage such crime reports, most of the largest U.S. cities have announced policies strictly limiting police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Do these policies work?  At what cost?  Would comprehensive immigration reform solve the problem?

12:30-1:30 p.m. Lunch, Coconino Room 224

1:45 to 2:45 p.m. Comparative Look at Immigration in Spain: Emilia Martinez-Brawley, John F. Roatch Distinguished Professor and Professor of Social Work, University College
Professor Martinez-Brawley will discuss a pilot study she is conducting with a colleague in Spain that compares media coverage of immigration with media coverage in Arizona. She also will talk about the commonalities and differences in policy and services experienced by temporary workers in the U.S. and Spain, focusing on the Southwestern U.S. and Andalusia.

3-5:30 p.m. Understanding the Economics of Immigration

Dawn McLaren, Research Economist at JPMorgan Chase Economic Outlook Center
W. P. Carey School of Business

Timothy Richards, Power Professor of Agribusiness
Morrison School of Agribusiness and Resource Management

Jose Mendez, Director of MBA Program in Mexico City and Professor of Economics
W.P. Carey School of Business

Arnold Maltz, Associate Professor of Supply chain Management
W.P. Carey School of Business

This panel discussion will examine the economics of immigration and its impact on the state and national level. It will also explore the influence of trade policy on the Mexican economy, the Canada-American-Mexico (CANMEX) corridor goal of a “borderless economy,” and the impact migrant workers have on agribusiness in the U.S.

7 p.m. Dinner

Wednesday, Feb. 7

8:00-8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast

8:30-9:30 a.m. – Early Childhood Education for Hispanics: Eugene Garcia, Vice President for University-School Partnerships, Office of the President
Hispanic children make up the largest and most rapidly growing racial/ethic minority population in early education (birth through age eight) in the United States. How do these children fare academically when compared with their peers and what programs, practices and policies are more likely to support their educational advancement.

9:45-10:45 a.m. - Citizen Action Groups: Luis Cabrera, Assistant Professor of Political Science, New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
In his first book, Political Theory of Global Justice, Luis Cabrera argued for economic and political integration among states, modeled loosely on the evolving European Union, to improve the life chances of those born into less-affluent states. Cabrera will discuss his current work that evaluates ways individuals can act on the obligations of a global conception of citizenship, including joining with others across national borders to identify and press shared interests. Cabrera has been conducting interviews with immigration activists at the Arizona-Mexico border, including the migrant-aid group No More Deaths, and the civilian border patrol Minuteman Project.

11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. – U.S.-Mexico Border Economy and Wealth Creation in Latino Communities: Bárbara Robles, Associate Professor of Social Work, College of Public Programs
The U.S.-Mexico border region, which spans 1,952 miles, is a unique region that is economically distinct from the rest of the United States and Mexico. At least 10 million people live along this border. In this session, Professor Robles will discuss economic conditions along the U.S.-Mexico border, with a focus on Latino/a family and community financial needs and behaviors, asset building policies, and Latino/a entrepreneurship.

12:00-1:00 p.m. – Lunch, Coconino Room 224

1:15-2:15 p.m. – Socio/Economic/Political Issues in Mexico Influencing Emigration: Carlos Velez Ibáñez, Chair Department of Transborder Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

This talk will focus on the structural conditions influencing Mexican migration dating from 300AD to the present.

2:30-4:30 p.m. Social Issues Panel

Globalization and Human Migration – Cecilia Menjivar, Associate Professor of Sociology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
This discussion will explore the causes and consequences of immigration from Central America and the incorporation of new immigrants into the American economy and society.

Immigrant Impact on Health Care – Mary Rimza, M.D., FAAP, Medical Director of the Center for Health Information and Research, School of Computing and Informatics, Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering
Dr. Rimsza will discuss immigrant health care utilization, its impact on border communities and differences in health care costs and utilization of immigrant populations compared to other population groups

Immigrants and Gangs -- Scott H. Decker Professor and Director School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, College of Human Services
One of the nation's foremost authorities on criminal violence and juvenile justice will explore the truth or myth of illegal immigrant impact on crime rates, with a specific focus on gangs.

5:00 p.m. Depart for Tucson

Lodging at The Hotel Arizona in Tucson

8:00 p.m. – Dinner at El Charro

Thursday, Feb. 8

6:45 a.m. Pick-up BorderLinks Trip Leader from Tucson office

8:00 a.m. Meeting with Border Patrol in Nogales, Arizona

12:30 p.m. Pick-up Marycruz Sandoval in Nogales, Sonora

1:00 p.m. Lunch in Comedor (Almorzar en el comedor)

We will have lunch at the Casa de Misericordia (house of mercy) which is a BorderLinks community center in Nogales, Sonora. Here children are offered free lunches on their way home from school. We may also have time for a short talk with the Casa director, Kiko Trujillo who can speak to economic issues.

2:00 p.m. Leave for Altar, Sonora, Mexico (salir para Altar)

5:00 p.m. Arrive at CCAMYN (Llegar a CCAMYN)

CCAMYN is a catholic run migrant shelter where migrants can come a get free, safe lodging and food. We will have the opportunity to talk with migrants over dinner as well as speak to the director of CCAMYN.

6:00 p.m. Dinner and conversations with Migrants (Cenar con los migrantes)

7:00 p.m. Clean-up and talk with Father Prisciliano (Hablar con Padre Prisciliano)

Friday, Feb. 9

8:00 a.m. Breakfast at CCAMYN (Desayunar en CCAMYN)

9:00 a.m. Observation exercise in central Plaza (Ejercicio de observación)

We will have time to interact with migrants waiting in the central plaza in Altar. Many of these migrants are simply waiting to board vans to Sasabe or other crossing locations.

11:00 a.m. Desert Hike with Francisco “Pancho” Garcia ( Camino en el desierto)

Pancho will take us on a short hike through desert and talk about what migrants will face in their journeys through the desert. We will also learn about some desert vegetation as well.

1:00 p.m. Leave for Nogales

4:00 p.m. Meet with Grupo Beta

6:00 p.m. Dinner in U.S.

Saturday, Feb. 10

8:00 a.m. Breakfast at BorderLinks

9:00 a.m. Leave for Tempe

11:00 a.m. Arrive in Tempe