Arizona/Mexico Border
Border Links: Sanctuary and Solidarity
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UUCSJ partners with BorderLinks to offer journeys to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Experience a week-long immersion in the realities of the border, including both the deep injustices and the inspiring community responses to this ongoing crisis.
This program is available for adult congregational groups, youth groups, and multi-generational groups.
For Border programs for Religious Leaders, please click here. For Youth programs, click here.
Why go to the border?
- Amid rising xenophobia and threats against basic human rights, UUCSJ’s “Sanctuary and Solidarity” journey offers a timely chance to deepen your capacity to practice effective solidarity.
- Through a visit to the border wall, meetings with grassroots partners, listening to migrants tell their stories, and walking the dangerous desert paths that so many risk while crossing the border, you will experience the depth of the immigration crisis firsthand.
- You’ll return home inspired and prepared to join emerging campaigns to renew, expand, and strengthen “sanctuary” in the time to come.
Who can go on a BorderLinks program?
We regularly schedule border trips for religious leaders, and we can organize a trip for any congregation or youth group with a minimum of 10 participants.
UUCSJ programs are also open to participants from any background who are interested in exploring the connection between spirituality and social justice. Individuals are welcome to register for any upcoming trip to the border, and we will contact the leader of the congregation to see if they are open to have additional participants.
If your congregation or youth group is interested in organizing a trip to the border, please contact Gina Collignon, gcollignon@uucsj.org.
What are the upcoming trips to the border?
There are no upcoming programs scheduled at this time. Please come back later or inquire about setting your own program dates.
How much does a border trip cost?
Cost: Total cost depends on number of days and adult vs. youth. Please see the list below. Note these costs do not including airfare. Additional expenses may include passport application or renewal and vaccinations.
- Adult journeys generally cost between $800 and $1,100 per person
- Youth journeys generally cost between $700 and $1,000 per person
Financial aid is available for up to 50% of program costs for adults and 75% of program costs for youth based on need and is awarded on a first come, first serve basis. Please fill out the financial aid request section of the program application.
For additional fundraising we recommend that participants use Faithify, the Unitarian Universalist crowd funding website, which can help either congregations or individuals raise money to cover their costs.
What is BorderLinks?
Frequently Asked Questions
Sample Itinerary
Please note this itinerary may change from group to group, and for youth groups we will work to customize the itinerary to the group’s needs and interests.
Resources for learning more about immigration:
Harvest of Empire
A full-length film which offers an invaluable glance at the history of US imperialism in Latin America, a primary cause of the migration crisis.
Undocumented
By Aviva Chomsky, this very readable book focuses on the notion of declaring human beings to be “illegal,” shining a new light on the history and current reality of migration.
Justice in a Global Economy
This essay is of particular importance in understanding the U.S. role in the economic structures that contribute to current immigration.
