BVMs Katie Anders and Marguerite Murphy gathered with 10 other Sisters from across the country Jan. 24–31, 2026, to participate in an immersion experience at the border. The week was coordinated by Catholic Sisters Walking with Migrants and the Kino Border Initiative and aimed to provide Catholic sisters with a personal experience of the impact of current immigration policies from the Nogales U.S./Mexico border.
Read about what they experienced and learned through this daily journal written by Katie that reflects the personal perspectives of a very complicated issue.
DAY 1
Jan. 24: We arrived in Nogales, Arizona, in the late afternoon to begin a week of accompaniment and learning around the topic of immigration. We began with an orientation at the office of the Kino Border Initiative, which serves people in the U.S. and Mexico, then headed out for a walking tour of downtown Nogales. There are three ports of entry in Nogales, including the Morley crossing which is the only strictly pedestrian crossing along the southern border. Movement to and from is quite fluid as folks come and go for work, school, and commerce.
The goals of this week long immersion experience are to humanize, accompany, and complicate. We will learn firsthand how all sides of the immigration issue are about human beings with varying life experiences and perspectives including those in migration, people who have been detained, ranchers, border patrol, and lawmakers. We will spend time with and accompany families at the Kino shelter and through all this learn that our personal perspectives tend to simplify a very complicated issue.
DAY 2
Jan. 25: Our second day was focused on both the perspective and experience of the migrant as they traverse the Sonoran Desert landscape, as well as the ranchers whose land it is they are crossing.
This morning we drove to Arivaca, Ariz. and the Buenos Aires National Park to experience the rugged terrain of the desert. We hiked two miles on trails and through dry creek beds trying to imagine what it would be like to do this in 100+ degree heat carrying a heavy backpack and at least a gallon of water for days on end. The low shrubs, cacti, and thorns made the walk difficult, as well as the constant up and down of the mountainous terrain. We also saw “relics” left behind by people who had been trying to get through the desert: clothing, parts of shoes, backpacks, a baby bottle, a Bible, and photographs of what we can only guess were loved ones left behind.
Following the hike we attended a communion service at St. Ferdinand’s in Arivaca and were treated to lunch with this close-knit community. After lunch, Jim and Sue Chilton, who own the largest ranch in the southwest United States, talked to us about what their experience has been like since they bought this ranch along the border in 1987. They shared photos of the parts of their land that were then separated from the border by a short, barbed wire fence, and now. They told us stories of the people they have they helped, and those who have threatened their lives. We also saw videos from motion-sensor hidden cameras showing streams of people walking through parts of the ranch both day and night.
Hiking the trail and the conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Chilton left me feeling overwhelmed, not only by the complexity of this issue but also the deeply human aspect of what is experienced by all involved. I was also reminded how difficult it is to live with the tension that complexity creates—especially when either/or thinking feels easier and safer. I was also reminded of the difficulty of holding the tension that is often created within complexity—this is when either/or thinking feels so much easier and safer.
As I continue to ponder today’s experiences, questions continue to surface that have no easy answer. But I feel a little less naive and a lot more connected.
DAY 3
Jan 26: On our third day of this immersion experience, we walked across the border to the Kino Border Initiative, where we helped to serve breakfast to the people who were present and then were encouraged to sit and visit with them. I had a conversation with a gentleman named Juan.
Juan self-deported a little over a year ago, tried to cross back into the United States, was detained, and spent five months in jail. He was then sent to Mexico once again. Juan is 48 years old and has lived in the United States since he was a toddler. All his family, including his children and his friends, are still in the United States. He shared how he has had to learn Spanish again because only his parents continued to speak the language as he was growing up. He also said he will not try to cross the border again because he feels he is too old to make the trip and does not want to go back to jail.
Thanks to the Kino Border Initiative he has been able to receive medical help for his diabetes as well as find a job and housing. He shared how now that he feels he is slowly finding more stability in his life he is hopeful his kids will be able to come see him. While I could hear and feel the resignation and sadness in his voice, he also remains hopeful. This seems like a miracle to me.
In the afternoon we took a walking tour of downtown Nogales, Sonora and learned about why and how people are allowed to cross through the border at ports of entry as well as why and how people are denied. It is a mind-boggling system that often forces people into desperate situations and impossible choices. The tour ended with a walk along the wall which divides a neighborhood in what many still call a bi-national city.
My word for today is overwhelmed, and while it is not an easy feeling to hold in my heart, I know what I am feeling is a result of a deepening awareness and a broader perspective, which is good.
DAY 4
Jan. 27: We headed north to Tucson this morning arriving at the Federal District Court to attend the hearings of people who had been detained while crossing the border outside of the ports of entry. We watched two sessions that had a total of 17 men and one woman. They all looked quite young as they came into the courtroom in bright orange clothing and shackles around their ankles and wrists. Most of them had the misdemeanor charge of illegally crossing the border, while a few others also had a felony charge of transporting people across. We watched the interactions between various attorneys and their clients, listened to those detained as they answered the judge’s questions, and observed the role of the US Marshalls.
Following the sessions the judge spent 45 minutes with us sharing his thoughts about what we observed today as well as giving us the opportunity to ask questions. He was candid in his responses and let us know when he was sharing his personal opinion. Once again it was abundantly clear just how complicated the issue of immigration is.
Our afternoon was spent in different places around the Tuscan area. We visited the San Xavier Mission taking in the beauty as well as discussing the role of the Church in colonizing the west, and we also went to Southside Presbyterian Church where the sanctuary movement began back in the 80s. We were fortunate to spend time with Leslie, who was one of the original volunteers in that movement and remains an active member of the community.
Our final stop for the day was at the pauper’s section of a large cemetery in Tuscan. This is the place where many who are found dead in the desert, both those who are identified and those who are not, are laid to rest. We were each given a rag and invited to walk silently among the small, flat headstones cleaning them off while we prayed. Then we gathered again for a litany for more than 30 unidentified people who have died in the desert, known only by their gender and where they were found. It was a moving prayer experience to say the least and a sad but beautiful reminder of one of the goals of this immersion experience, which is to humanize the issue of immigration.
DAY 5
Jan. 28: Today we continued to complicate the issue of immigration as we learned about the perspective of the border patrol. We spent two hours touring the facility at Nogales (the largest processing center in the Tuscan district) and learning from two of the agents. Both men were born in Nogales, Sonora, and migrated legally (their emphasis) as young children. They shared generalities about the day-to-day work they do, as well as the history of the border patrol and how it has changed over the years. They focused a lot on apprehending those bringing drugs across the border which of course we know does happen. However, we also know statistically that the percentage of drugs that comes through the desert on foot is very low compared to the drivable ports of entry and seaports. For those coming for other reasons, such as avoiding violence and just wanting a better life, they said they are “just enforcing the law.” While this is true, it highlights how the law needs to be changed. They also shared about the influence of the cartel and how they essentially control everything.
I realized today that the goal Kino has for us in humanizing the people involved in immigration is not just about the migrants. Today was an experience of humanizing a very different group of people that often get painted with one broad stroke in a dehumanizing way, too. As we were saying goodbye and thanking them, one of the agents said, “We know you pray for the migrants and they do need your prayers, but we would also like to ask that you remember us in your prayers because we need them, too.” Humanize, accompany, and complicate all right there in one moment. My heart continues to be stretched.
DAY 6
Jan. 29: Day 6 was spent at the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales, Sonora. Each time we go across the border we do so as pedestrians. The experience of going back and forth each day has been interesting because each side looks different, feels different, and the people we encounter are different.
Today we served both breakfast and lunch and had conversations with those present. I visited with two young men, listening to heart wrenching stories about their experiences of deportation, how their worlds have been turned upside down, and how they are trying to stay positive.
Between the meals, one gentleman shared his story with our whole group. He is 40 years old and has lived in Colorado since he was 16. Three months ago, on his way to work, he was pulled over by the sheriff, who was working with ICE, and detained. He was told to sign the deportation paper or go to jail for six months. He signed the paper. His wife, children, mom, and brothers remain in the U.S. He shared how much the people at Kino have helped him and have become like his family. He doesn’t know what his path will be, but he said he is learning a lot about himself and believes somehow things will work out. I found myself in awe of his resiliency and hopefulness.
Following lunch, we learned more about the path to citizenship through visas and green cards. Our discussion of the process included the obstacles and advantages that people encounter when trying to immigrate to the United States, and the realization that it is an unjust system that refuses the people who need it the most. With all that is happening in our country it is difficult to imagine comprehensive immigration reform and yet that is exactly what is needed. One thing I have realized is that even though comprehensive reform may feel far away, there are small things we can do that help pave the way toward that reform and assist those most in need.
DAY 7
Jan. 30: Our final day at the Kino Border Initiative was spent serving and learning. We continued to get to know the people coming to the shelter, serving breakfast and lunch and being with them at the tables. We also spent time with Sr. Eileen learning about next steps and how we continue to help change the narrative of migration in our country.
The Kino Border Initiative had three goals for us in this experience: to humanize, to accompany, and to complicate. All three of these goals were achieved beyond my imagination, and there is much I will continue to ponder and reflect on in the coming days and weeks as my heart holds the faces and stories from all sides that I encountered this week. This includes the faces and stories of the 11 sisters I was privileged to walk beside in this immersion experience.
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