SACNAS announced recently that closure of the southern border would also hurt scientists and students who cross the border frequently. According to the statement, the White House proposal to close the U.S. border with Mexico, as part of the administration’s plan to stop the crossing of undocumented migrants from Central America seeking asylum, could bring several SACNAS members’ scientific work and academic paths to a halt.
The proposed closure of the border could have serious ramifications on scientific research and scientific work conducted in the region, the statement said. Scientists, researchers and students from diverse communities in the southern border are concerned about how the proposed U.S. border with Mexico closure will affect their scientific research and work.
Jessica Salcido, a biology student and undergraduate research assistant at the University of Texas-El Paso, lives in Ciudad Juarez and crosses the border every day to go to college.
“There is not a day when I am scared that I won’t be able to go home or to come to school,” Jessica said. “At times great anxiety creeps in on me, and I become really desperate in regards to what to do. I truly hope that for the sake of my peers and myself who live in Juarez and cross the border every day, that this situation can be addressed. I would be deeply sad and anxious if those years of hard work had to be interrupted by such phenomena.”
Dr. Lekelia (Kiki) Jenkins, an associate professor, and Gabrielle Lout, a graduate research associate at Arizona State University, plan to go to Baja California, Mexico this August to conduct a case study on ways to reduce waste in the seafood supply chain.
“This research would examine a successful model of sustainable fishing and market incentives that could be reproduced throughout Mexico, potentially yielding more sustainable, lower waste fisheries and easing the diplomatic relationship around seafood. As the U.S. is a major consumer of seafood and Mexico is a major provider of our seafood. This research has implications for livelihoods and wellbeing on both sides of the border,” they said.
SACNAS fosters the success of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans, from college students to professionals, in attaining advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership in STEM. The organization serves approximately 6,000 members, a larger community of 20,000, and with 115 SACNAS student and professional chapters throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
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