May 16, 2019 500 AM
LAJITAS – People from the United States and Mexico held hands as a sign of unity during the seventh annual Voices from Both Sides on Saturday. Meanwhile, the U.S. Border Patrol made five arrests and seized one vehicle during the event.
Voices from Both Sides is the annual Fiesta Protesta that brings awareness to the separation between Lajitas, Texas and Paso Lajitas, Mexico after the informal crossing was closed due to 9/11. The first Voices event was held on May 11, 2013, years after the government closed the informal crossings at Lajitas, Boquillas, Redford and Candelaria. Some families use Voices to reunite with family who live directly on the other side of the river rather than drive to the closest official border entry in Presidio/Ojinaga, which is a little over an hour drive from Lajitas.
Voices founder Jeff Haislip said the event also celebrates the day when the port of entry is open again with dancing, music, and food. Bands from the U.S. and Mexico take turns performing on both sides of the river and the communities come together and hold hands in the river.
Prior to this year’s fiesta, Haislip posted a small statement that CPB wanted him to share on event’s Facebook page: “It is unlawful for persons to enter into the United States at this location. Persons who enter may be subject to prosecution under U.S. Federal Statutes, 8 U.S.C. 1324, 1325, 1326: 19 U.S.C. 123.1(a), 1459.” A few days later, CBP also released a statement with a similar reminder. According to Special Operations Supervisor Arain Carrera from Border Patrol’s Big Bend Sector, two people were stopped riding on horseback and CBP found one to be a non-U.S. citizen after further investigation, which resulted in an arrest for being illegally present in the U.S. The other individual, who was a U.S. citizen, was arrested for entry from Mexico without inspection.
Another person carrying a bicycle was seen entering Paso Lajitas and then later spotted by agents riding the bike in the U.S. The agents discovered that this person was a Czech Republic citizen with an overstayed B2-Visa and was transported to the Alpine Border Patrol Station for further processing.
Two people were arrested after agents spotted them entering a vehicle after making an illegal entry into the U.S. The agents stopped the vehicle to perform an immigration inspection, and one was arrested for being illegally present in the U.S. The other was arrested for bringing in and/or harboring certain types of aliens, and the vehicle was seized.
All the arrests were made without incident.
Haislip said that they invite the Border Patrol to Voices every year, and that the patrol fully supports the event. In addition to sharing The party went on though. Children rode in a colorful inflatable unicorn in the river. People danced to the music in the river and on the river bank.
Amy and Dick Willauer celebrated their first Voices from Both Sides by exchanging wedding vows in the Rio Grande. Amy made the chocolate wedding cake with raspberry filling and butter cream that was available to anybody who wanted a slice. The Terlingua residents have been together for 10 years and moved to the area a year and half ago from Maine. They’ve planned for the past six months to have the ceremony on this day.
“Atmosphere is conducive to relationships and that is what a marriage is about, so seemed like a perfect place to have a wedding,” said Dick.
“It was such a great sense of community here with everybody just helping with everything,” said Amy. “It’s amazing.”
Haislip shared a similar sentiment about the community who helped put together Voices from Both Sides with fundraisers and set-up. He said a grassroots effort like this one take a few years, but in the meantime, he wants to raise more awareness. “I’d like for this to spark the conversation,” said Haislip.
the law, they also asked Haislip to share with those attending to have a fun and safe Fiesta.
The Border Patrol usually has a presence at Voices from Both Sides, standing from afar on the River Road, FM 170. Their presence was significantly larger this year with more agents and trucks in view.
“They brought a force down today,” said Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson. “They’re not the crowd. They’re not trying to harass anybody. They’re up in the high spots watching, making sure that everybody does their thing and doing it the right way.” Dodson and his deputies were on-site at the event, as they’ve done in the past to ensure things go smoothly. He said there were issues last year with Americans going too deep into Mexico from Lajitas, but usually the issues they see at Voices is someone having a bit too much alcohol.
He also said there was a rumor that a group of Hondurans were planning to use Voices as a day to come over to the U.S., but it wasn’t verified and didn’t happen.
“Nobody has seen that to be true,” said Dodson.
He did notice that the crowd was smaller in comparison to previous years.
