Common Ground on the Border & Border Issues Fair, a two-day event this past weekend, featured classes in art, music and a variety of lectures.

Father Sean Carroll, SJ, Executive Director of the Kino Border Initiative in Ambos Nogales. Sean has been a key participant along the borderlands, helping develop an essential border ministry that is committed to fostering bi-national solidarity on the issue of migration between the United States and Mexico through direct assistance and accompaniment, education, research, and advocacy.

Chris Rickerd is a policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Political Advocacy Department who does administrative and legislative advocacy on border and immigration issues. Chris is the go-to person for border communities in Washington DC, for his finger is always on the pulse of immigration and border policies that affect our community. He brought us an up-to-date report from our nation’s capitol.

The morning’s activities included festive border music and the opportunity to study informational displays and talk with representatives from numerous humanitarian, action, and advocacy groups concerned with immigration issues and the lives of migrants.

The Border Issues Fair took place concurrently with the Common Ground on the Border now in its fifth year.

The following images are courtesy of Matthew Marsolek. (Thank you!)