Hostile Terrain 94 at Grinnell College

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Gabriella Soto, Assistant Teaching Professor at Barrett Honors College, Arizona State University. Below are the abstract for her talk titled “Death on the Border: Forensic Investigations, Accountability, and Theories of Change” and a flyer for a small lunch time discussion with Anthropology & Peace & Conflict Studies students about social science research methods and activism at the US-Mexico border. She also had a student dinner that was hosted SOL (Student Organization of Latinxs).

Dr. Gabriella Soto’s talk titled “Death on the Border: Forensic Investigations, Accountability, and Theories of Change”

Student lunch discussion

Documentary film screening
Wed. November 20, 2024 7-9 p.m.
HSSC A2231 – Auditorium

Border South by Raúl O. Paz-Pastrana humanizes global migration by documenting the perilous routes that migrants funneled to the Sonoran Desert must take to enter the U.S. It renders visible the current U.S. border policies that lead to thousands of migrant deaths. The film is being screened in conjunction with the Hostile Terrain 94 installation now on exhibit at Bucksbaum. The film will be followed by a Q&A with student panelists including Jorge Salinas ’26 (Anthropology).

We have finally completed the Hostile Terrain 94 installation at Grinnell College! Student volunteers Avajane L, Luis L., Da Hye O., Julia G., Judd B., Kyle F., and Jorge Salinas have done an amazing job helping to finish filling out the toe tags and pinning all of the remaining tags. The exhibit has the names of all 3,992 migrants who have died attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border under the inhumane U.S. border policy of Prevention Through Deterrence. The exhibit will be on view in Bucksbaum until May 2025.

Professors Xavi Escandell and Laura Ng pinning the last toe tag to complete the exhibit.

Professors Xavi Escandell and Laura Ng with the most dedicated student volunteers on the HT94 exhibit.

The complete installation!

On Thursday, student volunteers completed filling out all of the toe tags and continued the hard work of pinning them onto the installation. The finish line is near!

Kyle F. working on filling out the last envelope of toe tags.

The result of Thursday’s work party. This represents more than half of all the toe tags filled out for 3,992 individuals who have lost their lives trying to cross the border because of inhumane U.S. border policies.

On October 29th, we had the pleasure of hosting a panel talk with Immigrant Allies of Marshalltown. Grinnell College student Gabby Pruneda Turcios discussed her research on surveillance technologies at the U.S.-Mexico border while Maria Gonzalez and Eren Sanchez discussed their personal experiences as undocumented immigrants. Gabby’s presentation illuminates how technologies are part of the Prevention Through Deterrence program that attempt to disincentive migrants from clandenstine migration but only push them to cross into more dangerous terrain. Maria’s moving testimony touched on an ICE raid at a meatpacking plant in Marshalltown that impacted her own family. Eren discussed how her undocumented status made it financially difficult to attend local colleges in Iowa, including Grinnell College where she had visited, because DACA students were classified as international students. Maria, Eren, and Gabby’s biographies can be found here.

Speakers Maria Gonzalez, Eren Sanchez, and Gabriela (Gabby) Pruneda Turcios.

Gabby presenting her Mellon Mays undergraduate research based on her internship at a migrant shelter the U.S.-Mexico border.

Refreshments after the panel talk

This past week we had big work sessions on Friday, Sunday, and Monday. As a result, we have nearly all 3992 toe tags filled out and over 1500 toe tags pinned up.

St. Pauls Church volunteers filling out tags

St. Pauls Church volunteers filling out tags

Sunday student volunteers filling out tags

Sunday student volunteers pinning tags

Prof. Snook’s crafts and activism sociology students helping to pin tags

This Saturday and Sunday we had two Grinnell community workshops. Volunteers fill out toe tags at Drake Library (photos below) and at United Church of Christ Congregational. We also pinned some toe tags onto the installation at Bucksbaum and have realized this will be a slower process than we initially thought. As a result, the installation will be partially complete by the time of the Exhibit Opening and Panel Talk with Immigrant Allies of Marshalltown on Oct. 29th, but we look forward to working with anyone who is interested in helping us with pinning. Please reach out!

Table 1 filling out toe tags at Drake Library.

Table 2 filling out toe tags at Drake Library.

Table 3 filling out toe tags at Drake Library.

This week we worked in the Anthropology classroom on Thursday at lunchtime and at Bucksbaum later that afternoon filling out toe tags. Some students also spent time pinning tags along the U.S.-Mexico border. We were able to complete the western part of Yuma County, AZ on the left side of the map and the eastern part of Cochise County, AZ on the right. Prof. Maria Tapias also had her Anthropology students fill out toe tags. There is one last big toe tag filling session for the community this Saturday Oct. 19 from 2-4pm at the Drake Library Community Room.

Prof. Maria Tapias (Anthropology) filling out a toe tag.

Prof. Xavi Escandell (Sociology) and a group of students filling out toe tags at Bucksbaum Arts Center rotunda.

(L-R): Charlie, Kayleen, Austin, Luis, Kyle, and Avajane pinning toe tags to the map of the border wall.

This past week we had several classes in Anthropology and Tutorial fill out toe tags. In addition, Prof. Xavi Escandell held a nighttime session and Anthropology x SOL led a lunchtime session with pizza. On Thursday afternoon, students helped pin tags and filled out more tags–especially ones that will go along the U.S.-Mexico border. Join us for more toe tag filling workshops (see Upcoming Workshops tab) or contact us to hold your own session in a classroom or community space. We plan to finish all workshops by October 28th.

Students pinning toe tags at Bucksbaum.

Timelapse video of Da Hye, Kyle, Jorge, Avajane, Julia, and Judd helping to pin tags.

A table filling out toe tags at the Anthropology x SOL lunchtime workshop.

Another table filling out toe tags at the Anthropology x SOL lunchtime workshop.

Chinatowns Around the World Tutorial filling out toe tags after watching a video on the Undocumented Migration Project.