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Amna Nawaz:
Jeff, let me tell you, never in my life did I think my language skills would be used like this on the southern border of the United States.
In the last hour or so, we drove probably about two miles of the border. I met people from Bangladesh, Guinea, Mauritania, Guatemala, Ecuador, Nepal, and Mali.
I was able to communicate with them both in Urdu and French so I could get more details. Many of them share their terrifying journeys over weeks or months at a time. They came here wearing only their shirts. They all share stories of being robbed or assaulted along the way.
They all want to know what happens next, especially since they say Mexican officials have taken their money and, in some cases, their passports and cellphones. Where should I go?
Now, one of the people here to answer these questions is a man named Pastor Randy Meyer. He is affiliated with Good Shepherd United Church of Christ. It’s about 90 minutes from here. He brought us here because he comes here regularly. He brings water to me about once a week. He brings food.
He drives through this border area, interacting with migrants as they arrive, letting them know that Border Patrol is here to help them, and trying to contact Border Patrol to come pick them up.
But he also shared that he’s seeing larger and larger groups, 150 or 200 people just yesterday. That strains Border Patrol resources. It stretches him. Jeff, the Pima County local official, is also feeling the strain.
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