For the third time I head to the desert south of Tuscan for the 75 mile Migrant Trail Walk: We Walk for Life May 26th-June 1st. I send out this email to give more background information on the walk, why we walk, this information is below. I recently was on a delegation to the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez border area. Many of you have likely heard a new clip or two regarding the killings in Juarez. The situation is grime. Targeted killings are going on now connected with the drug trafficking, the police and the military. The military are coming in to the area, while we were there more than 3,000 were moved into the city. Beyond the murders related to drug trafficking, there is also mass murders of women or femicide (reasons still unknown), and trafficking of people. The hope lies in the people we met with from labor, human rights, health care, community groups, and educational institutions and organizations. We also need to take an active role in the US to bring awareness to these issues. The border whether it in Texas or Arizona impacts us all. I ask for your prayers for the migrants who will walk the desert in the coming summer months, those who have crossed, and for the families that the border has separated. I ask for your prayers for the people of Juarez and El Paso area. I also ask for you to tell the story of the migrant, defend their human rights, and work for a more just system.

The Migrant Trail: We Walk for Life was the idea of three people who decided to first do the walk in 2004 as an act of solidarity with migrants and to raise awareness about the deaths and terrible plight that migrants face. A total of 30 people complete the entire walk the first year, approximately 50 folks walked in 2005, nearly 130 in 2006, and 55 in 2007. More than 100 walkers have joined the walk for the final leg into Tucson each year. Walkers come from many states and countries, and various walks of life.

Community support for the walk has been overwhelming. Meals are delivered to the walkers by numerous organizations and individuals and one church along the route has hosted the walk overnight. Each year more organizations have helped organize the walk. The walk itself has been an important community building experience with walkers organized into teams which cover all aspects of the journey. Many walkers have commented that the camaraderie experienced during the walk was the best part.

The walk is not intended to simulate the experience migrants face as they cross the gauntlet of death. Walkers are accompanied by support vehicles, unlimited food and water, and medical attention: things that the migrants themselves desperately lack. However, by walking 75 miles in the hot summer sun we try to make a small contribution that will some day lead to change on the border. No one should be forced to risk their life in order to provide for their family.

Our Vision:
The precarious reality of our borderlands calls us to walk. We walk together on a journey of peace to remember people, friends and family who have died, others who have crossed, and people who continue to come. We walk to bear witness to the tragedy of death and of the inhumanity in our midst. Lastly, we walk as a community, in defiance of the borders that attempt to divide us, committed to working together for the human dignity of all peoples.