“The Line in the Sand” portrays the complexity of illegal immigration

By Louise Ritchie

Using monologues based on interviews with migrant workers, immigration officials and others along the Mexico and Arizona border, “The Line in the Sand: Stories from the U.S./Mexico Border” will depict the struggles and dreams of those touched by illegal immigration.

Co-sponsored by the FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights and the Tallahassee Farmworker Solidarity Committee, the Nov. 19 performances will be followed by a question-and-answer session with experts on immigration and related human rights issues. Hispanic music and food will also be featured between the performances.

In the one-hour play, local actors will portray people such as the following:

Monica, a Mexican woman: “My father is very sick and we cannot pay the money for medicines. I am the oldest of six children. It was my duty to cross the border. We mortgaged our land to get money for my journey.”

Victor, a Mexican man: “It was the most difficult decision that I ever had to make . . . . I told [my wife], ‘If I don’t take this chance, I am never going to get you out of poverty.’”

Arizona Border Patrol: “It’s not like we want people to die, you know. We’re trying to help people as much as we can, but our duty is to help the United States, protecting her borders.”

Dr. Parks: “We try to identify people as best we can, and we get the Mexican consulate involved in every suspected border crosser death . . . . It’s not very common that we get somebody who is recognizable . . . . Maybe they are skeletonized, just the bones”

“The Line in the Sand” was developed through the support of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in partnership with the Villanova University Master’s of Theatre program, and the play has been produced in several states.

A team of writers and actors were sent to the Arizona-Mexico border in August 2005 in the hope of advancing the cause of the “Justice for Immigrants” campaign sponsored by the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops. Working with the CRS-Mexico office, the group conducted interviews with migrants in Mexico and at a detention camp in Tucson. The group also interviewed ranchers, Mexican and US government officials, diocesan staff, and others.

The actors in the Tallahassee production represent a wide variety of ages, religious orientations, and professional backgrounds. In several cases, actors have shared that their compassion toward immigrants and views about immigration have shifted in the course of rehearsals.

“The Line in the Sand” will take place Sunday, November 19, at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., in the Dodd Hall Auditorium at Florida State. Tickets are $5 at the door. Some of the scenes in the play may not be suitable for children under 12. Both performances will be followed by a panel discussion. From 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m., refreshments will be provided and Dos Divas will provide music.

Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More, 900 W. Tennessee St., is collecting adult-sized long sleeved shirts for farmworkers in Quincy. The shirts keep dangerous pesticides off farmworkers’ skin. Since the pesticides do not wash out, many shirts are needed. For more information, contact Jayme Harpring: partners@netttally.com.

For information about the Justice for Immigrants campaign, which provides tools and information for diocesan and community-based organizing, education, and advocacy efforts, visit www.justiceforimmigrants.org.