The United States, a country formed by immigrants centuries ago, is now searching for ways to limit those trying to enter.

Seven major immigration reform bills are being debated in Congress. One passed the House of Representatives in December, while the others are pending in the Senate. These bills have become “hot-button” issues because some of the reform actions suggested are considered controversial. Many groups have weighed in on the debate.

The debate continues as some support the protection of the United States and others support the protection of those who live here, whether legally or illegally.

Still, a question arises: Why do so many Mexicans risk everything, including their own lives, to cross the border?

The Oblates have a mission in Tijuana where they serve about 180,000 people. A city of 1.2 million people, better known for its beaches and tourist attractions, Tijuana, located on the U.S. / Mexico border, is just south of San Diego. Once an agricultural area, local farmers lost everything about 15 years ago when the U.S. began selling its produce in Mexican markets at a cheaper price.

Agricultural unemployment is only one aspect. In 1994, as a part of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), companies from the U.S. built factories in Tijuana. Thousands of unemployed workers moved from southern parts of Mexico to Tijuana, hoping to find a job on the assembly lines. The factories, known as “maquilladoras,” were unable to employ the countless number of workers.

Many of the jobless persons remained in parts of Tijuana. They had uprooted their families for a chance to survive, and now they had nothing to return to. Those who did get jobs received $30 to $100 in weekly wages without any benefits. “I have seen people struggle to make a living and provide for their families,” Fr. Tom Rush, O.M.I., from Yakima, Washington, remarked. Fr. Rush has worked with immigrants for more than 30 years on both sides of the border. “The level of wages and the limitation of opportunities for people living on the Mexican side. . .seem particularly scarce. It is common for a worker living on the south side of the border to earn about 10% of what a person on the north side earns.”

Many people in La Morita, an impoverished area of Tijuana, live in shacks made of packing crates and scrap wood. They have no running water, no sanitation system, and no postal service. Fr. Pablo Wilhelm, O.M.I., from Mascoutah, Illinois, who serves at the San Eugenio mission in Tijuana, continues the description of the bleak conditions: “The majority of the streets are still unpaved, and that means they are dusty in the dry season and muddy and treacherous in the rainy season. The stench of burning trash and stagnant water fills the air. Rashes, intestinal and respiratory ailments, fevers, and infections of all kinds are common. Asthma is a year-round problem.” Many people, eager to escape these horrible conditions, will try any way to get across the border.

Fr. Rush explains what life is like for those living in the United States and those who are left behind, “From my experience living in Tijuana, I have seen members of families, some of whom live on one side of the border and others who live on the other side, gather at the border fence and pass food across to each other as they share a meal together.”

As the Immigration Reform bills continue to be debated, the Oblates ask for your prayers and support for those they help on both sides of the border.