Valle de Sueños Origin
Between 2018 and 2021, the Trump Administration forcibly returned nearly 70,000 migrants to dangerous Mexican border cities under the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). MPP proliferated inhumane tent cities along the Mexican border; in response, South Texans and Northern Mexicans hatched an ecosystem of humanitarian aid and advocacy to counter the dire conditions and human rights violations.
After nearly two years of horrendous conditions in tent cities, hundreds of migrants living in the Matamoros tent encampment received notification that newly elected President Joe Biden decided to change course.
On Wednesday, February 24, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement announcing an effort to begin “processing” current residents of the Matamoros refugee encampment, a program to be executed in cooperation with the Government of Mexico and international organizations. “Processing” is U.S. government speak for allowing entry into the United States after a rigorous vetting procedure. In short, President Biden decided to shut down the Matamoros refugee camp – and shut it down fast.
In this podcast, you will hear from advocates about the ten days leading to the bulldozing of the Matamoros tent city, including their fight for dignity, humanity, and rights during MPP. Laura and Charlie share this story so you can understand the emotional, physical, and mental impact of the rapid end of a human rights atrocity born of U.S. government policies.
Sharing this story is essential.
Co-Creators
Laura Peña is an attorney and activist with a wide range of legal, policy, and advocacy experience in the field of immigrant justice and civil rights. She is a former Obama appointee and a federal government attorney. In 2018, Laura publicly disavowed ICE when the family separation crisis hit by writing an op-ed published by USA Today. After eighteen years away, Laura returned to her border hometown to join efforts to reunify families separated by the U.S. government. She currently serves as the Director of the Beyond Borders Program at the Texas Civil Rights Project. Laura’s work has been featured in several media outlets, she has testified at Congress, and she speaks nationally on topics of immigration, human rights, and border justice. In 2019, the Hispanic National Bar Association named her Latina Attorney of the Year. Laura lives in Brownsville, Texas with her two rescue dogs, Maya and Dulce.
Charlie Vela is a record producer, cultural historian, and active multimedia artist in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. A producer of hundreds of albums for artists in and beyond the border region as well as the co-director of the award-winning music documentary ‘As I Walk Through the Valley’, co-creator of Futuro Conjunto, a multimedia sci-fi cast album, and in his alter-ego Fronterawave, remixing and re-contextualizing regional music using contemporary production aesthetics. Charlie has dedicated the better part of the last two decades to preserving local histories and facilitating creative visions in South Texas.
Why Valle de Sueños Podcast?
The MPP policies were one of the many inhumane policies under the Trump administration. This podcast captures the advocates’ perspectives during the 10-day dismantling of the MPP “tent” city in Matamoros, Mexico. It is to hold and share space of the heavy and life-changing impact it had on many lives, primarily told from the perspective of local South Texas border activists.
Laura and Charlie preserve the voices, challenges, and narratives of those who were and remain part of the lucha in solidarity with migrants seeking a better life. Their courage and dream of liberation should not be treacherous, dangerous, and dehumanizing; this podcast is a reminder that we can and must do better.
