Reflection on Callie's Presentation

I knew drug trafficking was an issue essentially everywhere at the border between the United States and Mexico, and the O’odham were affected as a result; however, I think this presentation really highlighted the actual extent of the problem. The San Miguel gate has historically been the only place where O’odham could easily pass through from the US to their lands in Mexico, and vice versa, but because of drug traffickers abusing this, they’ve largely lost this right & it must be devastating to the culture, especially with maintaining family ties across the border specifically.

I think Callie’s idea of a socio-political and cultural approach as a solution is something our governments should pursue. I think that because this problem involves three sovereign groups, all three groups need to be involved in a joint discussion, and any solution needs to be culturally specific with the needs of the tribe at the forefront of the discussion. For example, if the Native groups at the border and the Mexican government won’t consent to and cooperate with the idea of a wall, I think the United States government should respect that, or at the very least, consider the other groups’ expertise on the matter.