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A Closer Look at the Migrant Shelters in Tijuana
by Rebecca Mizrahi
July 31, 2019
Rebecca Mizrahi is a Freelance Photographer based in Los Angeles. You can see more of her work here.
Migration has been a constant across the world and throughout history. With the increased politicization of immigration in the United States, a true humanitarian crisis has emerged on both sides of the U.S. and Mexican borders. A day spent visiting shelters in Tijuana provided an intimate setting to hear first hand stories about the violence, poverty and persecution that compels migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to leave their homes and risk everything for a chance at a new life in the United States. Most obvious in people’s stories is a sense of grief and loss, ongoing fear and uncertainty about what’s to come, and a tremendous longing for a safe, secure future. These images are from a day in the life.
© Rebecca Mizrahi
The “double” border wall is visible from a bus in Tijuana. Non-profit volunteer organization, Border Angels estimates that since 1994, about 10,000 people have died in their attempt to cross the border. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 7,216 people have died crossing the U.S–Mexico border between 1998 and 2017. Conflicting estimates.
© Rebecca Mizrahi
Malecon, Playas de Tijuana. The border wall stretches into the Ocean but does not stop families from meeting to talk and pass notes to each other on either side. Although recent efforts seek to prevent this from continuing to happen.
© Rebecca Mizrahi
One of many “missing” in Tijuana, one of the largest border metropolises in the world. It is not uncommon for male and female migrants to become trapped in the sex trade, with very few options to survive while they wait for asylum.
© Rebecca Mizrahi
New tents, clothing and food provided by This is About Humanity. Name of shelter is concealed to protect asylum seekers fleeing violence/ persecution.
© Rebecca Mizrahi
Donated blankets used for padding in lieu of mattresses.
© Rebecca Mizrahi
Children’s vitamins and prenatal pills sit atop a makeshift office in the center of the shelter.
© Rebecca Mizrahi
Child watches as new tents are set up and old blankets are removed, a bottle of medicine and a plastic spoon beside her.
© Rebecca Mizrahi
A family watches as the shelter is overturned by volunteers trying to clean up after heavy rains.
© Rebecca Mizrahi
Diapers, a few toys and a math book show the simplest accumulation of items for a migrating family. Children have no way to attend school while moving from shelter to shelter and can go anywhere from a few months to several years without formal education.
© Rebecca Mizrahi
In 2018, Casa Cornelia Law Center responded to 883 adult asylum seekers in need, and 876 unaccompanied children.
© Rebecca Mizrahi
According to Casa Cornelia, about 90% of asylum seekers without an attorney are denied, but almost half of those with representation are successful. As of mid-2018, over 700,000 asylum cases remained open, with new applicants applying each day.
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Walk With Me: A Piece of Peace Part 2
by Jay Revelle
April 25, 2018
It's a pleasure for me. The process of photographing. Being physically in the world, eyes open, attentive, sensing, and at some point, connecting. To be in the world and of the world. To be, at the same time, out of your head, yet absolutely, exactly, there. It's thrilling when your eyes get ahead of your brain. – Henry Wessel, American photographer
In Part 1, we explored nighttime film photographs of the areas of Fujisawa, Kamakura, and Zushi/Hayama at night, which sit somewhat sandwiched between some of America's biggest military installations in the Far East. In Part 2, we take a look at some nocturnes of a residential area on an actual U.S. base in Japan: Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka.
I’ve always wondered: “What does it look like on base?” “What does the ‘human landscape’ look like there at night?” Well, one night, an American friend of mine took me on base proper. The weather was perfectly aligned with my preference for shooting at night: Overcast, no wind.
If residents of Japan such as myself ever wondered, it turns out that “they” live much the same as “us,” and vice versa. This is the U.S. human landscape in Japan. Cherry blossom trees line the streets, much like the “Main Streets” of Japan.
Then, we stroll off down the street, looking for the next interesting nighttime human landscape to shoot, some of which are shown here.
To enjoy such a serene and pleasant evening on the grounds of one of America’s biggest military installations in the Far East is a great reminder to be thankful for the rewards of hard-fought peace—geopolitically and locally—on the “Main Streets” of Anytown U.S.A. & Japan. I hope that you can feel this piece of peace as well when viewing these pictures. Thank you for taking a look, and thank you for taking a Walk With Me.