Students at the University of Texas at El Paso participated with their neighbors from Ciudad Juárez in last weekend's Caravan for Peace with Justice rally at the border .
'This is important for our communities and being a part of this caravan shows support and solidarity with the victims of the drug war,' said Ana Morales, one of the organizers of the event and graduate student in sociology. 'Being in El Paso makes us comfortable, but, in reality, we are all in Juárez.'
Several UTEP student organizations such as MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlán), MASS (Mexican American Student Society) and Miners Without Borders, as well as alumni, participated in the rally.
"It was an amazing experience," said Saray Argumedo, senior print media major. "When we were crossing the bridge, a line of activists already in Juárez waiting for us, said, ‘welcome back to your home.'"
Many of the individuals attending the event said the movement is not just about protesting the drug war violence, but about injustice and the many social struggles and inequities plaguing Mexico.
"This peace movement is the first to directly criticize military involvement of the Mexican government, and it's also critiquing American policy in Mexico like the Merida Initiative, which is funding not only military injustice, but cartel injustice," said Sean Garcia, a senior English and American literature major."
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