Borderlands
Along a border at the center of the political and journalistic debate, “Borderlands” aims to develop a narration capable of going beyond the emergency perspective under which the US/Mexico border related issues are constantly presented and to vehicle the complexity of this 3600 kilometers long line that has been crossed by migrants and travelers for decades. Immigration related phenomena have been absorbed by the population of border areas and they contributed to shape the social fabric of these regions. The idea of securing a border by putting up a fence is conceptually misleading, as sharp lines of demarcation might deceive about a non-continuity, truth is that border areas between US and Mexico can hardly be considered as parts of the two countries they separate, but have rather become a country by itself.
Luis Meija, 22 years old, with his wife Lizeth and their daughter Amberly, 3, in their house at colonia La Peñita. Colonies are extremely poor communities of migrants, born along the border between Texas and Mexico where most people are illegally in the US. La Joya, Texas. April, 2017.
The wall dividing the US and Mexico near Nogales. Arizona. May, 2017.
15th birghday at Colonia La Penita. Colonias are extremely poor communities of Mexican migrants which are born along the border between Texas and Mexico. In these communities the majority of people entered the US illegally and is still without regular papers. La Joya, Texas. April 2017.
Families along the Rio Grande's delta where Mexican families go to meet their relatives on the US bank of the river. Playa Baghdad. Brownsville, TX. April 2017.
The twin cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, seen from El Paso belvedere. El Paso, Texas. May 2017.
Felipe and Maria with their son David at Colonia La Penita. Felipe and Maria illegally entered the United States. David, 2 years old, is a US citizen. La Joya, Texas. April, 2017.
An aerostatic balloon, remotely controlled by federal border Patrols and used to intercept illegal activities along the border. Equipped with infrared cameras these devices can track movements at a distance of up to 200 kilometers. Roma, Texas. April 2017.
Mexican families during spring break holidays at a motel in South Padre Island, TX. April 2017.
An abandoned van nearby the border between US and Mexico in the Sonoran desert area. Arizona. April 2017.
A man claiming to be a "coyote", in a motel at South Padre Island, Texas, where he's spending spring holidays with his family. "Coyotes" are the smugglers driving undocumented migrants through the border and are often linked to cartels. South Padre Island. Texas. April 2017.
Church, Casagrande, Arizona, USA. Aprile 2017.
A girl poses showing off a swastika tattooed on her chest at the national meeting between the US National Socialist Party and the Ku Klux Klan in Pikeville, Kentucky, where I travelled following the NSM delegation from Arizona. Border related issues are currently on top of the nationalists movements agenda. Pikeville. April, 2017.
Glenn Spencer, 81, setting up one of his drones. Mr Spencer's property confines with the Mexican border and his land is often crossed by smugglers. He is developing a technology based on underground sensors capable to send a signal to drones that automatically take off and fly on location to identify the trespassers. Mr Spencer technology is apparently beeing considered by the Trump's administration as one of the possible solution to border related issues. Sierra Vista, Arizona, November 2017.
Harry Hughes, leader of the National Socialist party and founder of the US Border Guard, a paramilitary militia group that patrols the border between Arizona and Mexico. Their aim is to stop the traffick of drugs and human beings. Maricopa, AZ. April 2017.
Gabriel, 24 years old, with his aunt Marilena, 42 years old. I encountered Gabriel and Marilena while driving on a smuggling road between the US border with Mexico and the town of Arivaca, Arizona. Gabriel and Marilena were severely dehidrated and couldnt move anymore after walking several hours in the desert. They claimed to be part of a group of 8 people that was abandoned by a smuggler in the Sonoran desert. Arivaca, Arizona. May 2017.,
Santos, 23, soldier of the gang marasalvatrucha 13, posing in he house of a fellow gangmember. Mara13 is currently the point of reference of Mexican cartels for the distribution of drugs in the States. Santos has been recently released after two years spent in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Christmas decorations. Maricopa, Arizona. Dicembre 2017.
A staging of the O.K. Corral gunfight in Tombstone. The gunfight, considered the most famous of the American wild west, happened in 1881 and involved lawmen and outlaws. A local company stage it three times a day, 365 days a year. Tombstone, Arizona, November 2017.
Beauty peagent contest at theTohono O'Odham native reservation. The Tohono O'Odham reservation is located in the Sonoran desert, along the border with Mexico and has been accused of cooperating in human and drug smuggling. with the Mexican cartels. The growing tension between federal authorities and the Native community brought to the creation of two permanent checkpoints to access and exit the natives lands. Sells. Arizona. December 2018.
A Central American family in US territory seconds after illegally crossing the border at a gate accidentally left open by construction workers. Tijuana / San Diego border. Mexico. December 2018.
A family at a Native celebrations rodeo in Maricopa, Arizona. December 2017.
Holiday Inn view on Gallo's Construction. Casa Grande, Arizona, April 2017.
Activists during a demonstration against the construection of a new section of border fence that will cut in half an area sacred to the local native population. Lukeville, Arizona. November 2019.
Environmental activists from Tucson demonstrating against the damages that the consruction of a new section of wall will cause to the local fauna. Lukeville, Arizona. November 2019.
Motel. Tucson. December 2019
Melody, 15 years old, in the San Ysidro's motel where she lives with her mother Teodora and her brothers. Teodora ran away because of domestic violence. San Diego, California. April, 2017.
A young girl watching the border landscape over Ciudad Juarez from the belvedere of El Paso ,El Paso, TX. May, 2017.
Borderlands
Along a border at the center of the political and journalistic debate, “Borderlands” aims to develop a narration capable of going beyond the emergency perspective under which the US/Mexico border related issues are constantly presented and to vehicle the complexity of this 3600 kilometers long line that has been crossed by migrants and travelers for decades. Immigration related phenomena have been absorbed by the population of border areas and they contributed to shape the social fabric of these regions. The idea of securing a border by putting up a fence is conceptually misleading, as sharp lines of demarcation might deceive about a non-continuity, truth is that border areas between US and Mexico can hardly be considered as parts of the two countries they separate, but have rather become a country by itself.
Luis Meija, 22 years old, with his wife Lizeth and their daughter Amberly, 3, in their house at colonia La Peñita. Colonies are extremely poor communities of migrants, born along the border between Texas and Mexico where most people are illegally in the US. La Joya, Texas. April, 2017.
The wall dividing the US and Mexico near Nogales. Arizona. May, 2017.
15th birghday at Colonia La Penita. Colonias are extremely poor communities of Mexican migrants which are born along the border between Texas and Mexico. In these communities the majority of people entered the US illegally and is still without regular papers. La Joya, Texas. April 2017.
Families along the Rio Grande's delta where Mexican families go to meet their relatives on the US bank of the river. Playa Baghdad. Brownsville, TX. April 2017.
The twin cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, seen from El Paso belvedere. El Paso, Texas. May 2017.
Felipe and Maria with their son David at Colonia La Penita. Felipe and Maria illegally entered the United States. David, 2 years old, is a US citizen. La Joya, Texas. April, 2017.
An aerostatic balloon, remotely controlled by federal border Patrols and used to intercept illegal activities along the border. Equipped with infrared cameras these devices can track movements at a distance of up to 200 kilometers. Roma, Texas. April 2017.
Mexican families during spring break holidays at a motel in South Padre Island, TX. April 2017.
An abandoned van nearby the border between US and Mexico in the Sonoran desert area. Arizona. April 2017.
A man claiming to be a "coyote", in a motel at South Padre Island, Texas, where he's spending spring holidays with his family. "Coyotes" are the smugglers driving undocumented migrants through the border and are often linked to cartels. South Padre Island. Texas. April 2017.
Church, Casagrande, Arizona, USA. Aprile 2017.
A girl poses showing off a swastika tattooed on her chest at the national meeting between the US National Socialist Party and the Ku Klux Klan in Pikeville, Kentucky, where I travelled following the NSM delegation from Arizona. Border related issues are currently on top of the nationalists movements agenda. Pikeville. April, 2017.
Glenn Spencer, 81, setting up one of his drones. Mr Spencer's property confines with the Mexican border and his land is often crossed by smugglers. He is developing a technology based on underground sensors capable to send a signal to drones that automatically take off and fly on location to identify the trespassers. Mr Spencer technology is apparently beeing considered by the Trump's administration as one of the possible solution to border related issues. Sierra Vista, Arizona, November 2017.
Harry Hughes, leader of the National Socialist party and founder of the US Border Guard, a paramilitary militia group that patrols the border between Arizona and Mexico. Their aim is to stop the traffick of drugs and human beings. Maricopa, AZ. April 2017.
Gabriel, 24 years old, with his aunt Marilena, 42 years old. I encountered Gabriel and Marilena while driving on a smuggling road between the US border with Mexico and the town of Arivaca, Arizona. Gabriel and Marilena were severely dehidrated and couldnt move anymore after walking several hours in the desert. They claimed to be part of a group of 8 people that was abandoned by a smuggler in the Sonoran desert. Arivaca, Arizona. May 2017.,
Santos, 23, soldier of the gang marasalvatrucha 13, posing in he house of a fellow gangmember. Mara13 is currently the point of reference of Mexican cartels for the distribution of drugs in the States. Santos has been recently released after two years spent in prison for a crime he did not commit.
Christmas decorations. Maricopa, Arizona. Dicembre 2017.
A staging of the O.K. Corral gunfight in Tombstone. The gunfight, considered the most famous of the American wild west, happened in 1881 and involved lawmen and outlaws. A local company stage it three times a day, 365 days a year. Tombstone, Arizona, November 2017.
Beauty peagent contest at theTohono O'Odham native reservation. The Tohono O'Odham reservation is located in the Sonoran desert, along the border with Mexico and has been accused of cooperating in human and drug smuggling. with the Mexican cartels. The growing tension between federal authorities and the Native community brought to the creation of two permanent checkpoints to access and exit the natives lands. Sells. Arizona. December 2018.
A Central American family in US territory seconds after illegally crossing the border at a gate accidentally left open by construction workers. Tijuana / San Diego border. Mexico. December 2018.
A family at a Native celebrations rodeo in Maricopa, Arizona. December 2017.
Holiday Inn view on Gallo's Construction. Casa Grande, Arizona, April 2017.
Activists during a demonstration against the construection of a new section of border fence that will cut in half an area sacred to the local native population. Lukeville, Arizona. November 2019.
Environmental activists from Tucson demonstrating against the damages that the consruction of a new section of wall will cause to the local fauna. Lukeville, Arizona. November 2019.
Motel. Tucson. December 2019
Melody, 15 years old, in the San Ysidro's motel where she lives with her mother Teodora and her brothers. Teodora ran away because of domestic violence. San Diego, California. April, 2017.
A young girl watching the border landscape over Ciudad Juarez from the belvedere of El Paso ,El Paso, TX. May, 2017.