Reflections on Purpose: 7 Days in Phoenix, AZ
By: Andrea Vidal Becker
Tags: Humanitarian, Refugees, Resettlement, Migration, Immigrants

Since I was very young all I wanted was to help others in my career. This is an integral part of my identity as I’m sure it is for many IRC staff, but when you give your life to service day in and day out it’s only natural to get lost in the minutia. Before you know it you are caught mid-waist in reports, large caseloads, and financial hardships. What’s another person in your door when you’ve already got 300? What’s another job for another client? This repetition coupled with the emotional rollercoaster of witnessing other’s trauma wears you down leading some to compassion fatigue and burn out. Despite the intense nature of the work, one of the best things I’ve done to revitalize my passion for helping others was my deployment in Phoenix to help with the Asylum Seeking Families effort.

For me there was something paradigm shattering about witnessing the sheer volume of needs, stories, and trauma that stem from the crises in Central America. So many faces and names that very well could be me, you, or anyone else. What an honor to help.

The hard thing to do is often the right thing. There were many days when we worked 15 hour days only to get up the next day at 4 am to do it all again. Often families would open up to me about their trauma and hardships and I would have no real answer or solution. Most deployed staff came home sick after 80+ hour work weeks and skipped most meals. Countless times I aggressively negotiated with TSA and airline staff to get families to their end destination.

The sense of closure inherent to Economic Empowerment programming in US Resettlement is something that you won’t always find in the essential work done in Phoenix. Many nights I stayed up thinking about the mom and daughter I helped onto the bus who didn’t speak English or Spanish and were facing a 6 day trip with multiple lay overs to the East Coast. Often I still think about the woman who urgently needed a new supply of medicine to get her to her family alive and the mother of 4 whose 7 year old niece was separated from her in detention.

Stories like these and many other unimaginable journeys are commonplace in the efforts in Phoenix and exude the resilience of refugees. In one instance, I remember apologizing to a family for having to walk so much at the airport with me to which the father responded, “[It’s okay, this doesn’t compare to how much we’ve already walked. What’s another step?]”. That attitude of hope and positivity even when their journey was not yet done spoke volumes.

What I came back from Phoenix with was a refreshed perspective — appreciative of my family and even more aware of the privileges I enjoy. I was reminded of why I got into this work in the first place and why it is essential. The daily stresses of regular US resettlement programming pale in comparison to the hundreds of asylum seekers being released from detention everyday malnourished and with young children while ICE does everything they can to break the existing structures receiving them. For these people, we have no real answers, options, or solutions except to wait for their cases to be processed. I feel that I caught a glimpse of the wonderfully important work done in our international programs.

On a personal note, this amazing experience presented itself while I’m planning a wedding and creating a new path for myself. While I start a family, many are separated by violence, persecution, and our government. How lucky and absolutely privileged I am to find myself in this position. What a gift it’s been to simultaneously find love and give love to strangers displaced from their homes and families. It was an honor to help these groups of people and in many ways their teachings to me have been greater gifts than my contributions to them. I left Phoenix reinvigorated and more passionate than ever about continuing to help and advocate for those who need it most.

I encourage anyone reading this to reexamine their why and put themselves outside of their comfort zone. It made all the difference for me and for my clients in San Jose.

[From an internal blog post in May 2019]