For one weekend, Arizonans and Sonorans alike celebrate as if border wall is nonexistent

Versión en español

Lochiel, Arizona – Activists and residents from Sonora and Arizona gathered in a remote stretch of the border in the small town of Lochiel, Arizona during the last weekend of May to protest the construction of a new border wall that they say threatens local wildlife.

But it wasn't just any ordinary protest; they did it with music, food and a volleyball game across the wall.

With plates full of carne asada tacos sliding under the wall that divides Mexico from the United States, a volleyball soared over the wall while revelers listened and danced to live music from "El Colorado" and others danced. t.

The festival of resistance was held there because the United States government intends to replace the current wall — a metal barrier approximately four feet high with a chain-link fence spliced ​​with an approximately eight-foot-high iron fence — with the 30-foot wall that exists in other areas of the border.

According to Erick Meza of the Sierra Club, a nationwide organization dedicated to protecting the environment and preserving nature, the gathering was held at the site where a border crossing once stood until 1986, given the recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

The border wall expansion project would extend over a 36-mile stretch and include three projects in Arizona: the Tucson Sonoita Project, Tucson 10-4, and Tucson 10-6. The Tucson Sonoita Project is located near Lochiel, 40 kilometers east of Nogales in the San Rafael Valley.

“We are here to oppose this project because this is one of the quietest areas on the border, where there is great biodiversity. It's located right between two very important mountains: the Patagonian and Huachuca mountains. It's a crossing point for very important species coming from Mexico, such as the jaguar, mountain lion, black bear and a host of other species,” Meza said.

The Sierra Club intends to take legal action and will continue to demonstrate in the coming months in opposition to the DHS announcement and try to mobilize communities and political representatives to speak out against it, Meza said.

The gathering was organized by residents of the region and local organizations. Approximately 70 people attended on the U.S. side and 50 on the Mexican side.

As if a border never existed

Lochiel, Arizona, is located approximately 25 miles east of Nogales, Arizona.

There used to be a gate at that location, but it closed in 1986, and only about three houses can be seen near the gate. It borders the municipality of Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico, where there were 1,835 inhabitants in 2020, according to the Mexican government's census.

It was a cloudy, windy Saturday afternoon, and the attendees chatted through the wall as if the barrier didn't exist.

They played volleyball on the wall, as if it were the net. As a gesture of solidarity, they passed around carne asada tacos prepared on the Mexican side to attendees in Arizona, while watermelon and bread were passed from Arizona to Sonora.

On the Mexican side, a young man was selling raspados for $2. They came in plum, mango and pineapple flavors. Due to his location, the vendor had to pass the raspados over the wall. To do so, a teenager climbed onto the wall, the vendor passed the cup to him and he handed it to the buyer, without having to get down.

Meanwhile, people of all ages mingled in the shade of large trees that intertwined above the wall. Juan Ramón Montaño, known as “El Colorado,” played guitar and belches out songs like “Cielito Lindo,” “Allá en el Rancho Grande,” “Sonora y sus ojos negros,” and others.

Janeth Miller, from Tucson, Arizona, and Rubén Peralta, from Santa Cruz, Sonora, danced while “El Colorado” sang “Noches y Días Perdidos.”

Protecting nature and unity

Sierra Club is part of a coalition of organizations seeking to stop the expansion of border walls with Mexico. Its website reports that walls have already been built along more than 650 miles (1,045 kilometers), barriers that “block wildlife migration, cause flooding and damage pristine wild lands, including wildlife refuges, wilderness areas and national forests.”

César Peralta, originally from Santa Cruz, Sonora, spoke using the microphone provided for attendees, saying that the struggle is to prevent the construction of the metal wall, but something very important is the bond between humanity, Americans and Mexicans, who in the end, he said, are brothers and neighbors.

Rubén Peralta said he felt happy looking at everyone gathered and witnessing the unity between the two countries.

“We need to open these spaces more so that our voices can be heard regarding these walls that divide us, so that we don't divide ourselves in our hearts,” said Pablo de la Torre, a priest from a church in Santa Cruz, Sonora. He then offered a prayer.

Sheriff David Hathaway of the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office was also present.

There was a moment when they used bird figures made of black cardboard, held up by a wooden stick, and raised them to simulate birds flying over the wall.

In Lochiel, one weekend, the wall didn't separate; on the contrary, it connected.