It was some years ago that I took this photo. At the time, I was seated on a bench just by the Chisholm Trail marker (cattle would cross at this point in the river and then would be herded down Elizabeth Street, the main drag in Brownsville).I noticed two young men getting into the river from the Mexican side. I took their picture, and then sat back down. (You can barely make them out, in the center of the picture).
When the men reached the US side of the river, one of them managed to crawl out of the water and up onto the bank, but the other fellow--Luis, I learned his name in a sad way--floundered. I got up from the bench and began wondering what I could do. As Luis thrashed about, his companion threw him a long branch, which the man managed to grab hold of. I sat back down.
And then Luis disappeared beneath the waters.
His friend began screaming, "Luis! Luis!"
And so I learned his name, shortly after he drowned.
Some years ago, the Roman Catholic bishops of the dioceses that run along the US/Mexico border published a startling piece called "Strangers No Longer: Together on a Journey of Hope." In this letter, they argue strongly for a secure border. But they mean this in a different way than Michael Chertoff, the Secretary for Homeland Security, and the members of Congress. While those people want a border wall--a barrier between our two countries, the bishops argue for a space along the border in which all people enjoy security. Even those attemting to cross from one country to another.
People like Luis.
