Exploring the Complexity of the U.S.–Mexico Border

This March, during spring break, two groups of George Mason University students headed to the southern border.

Michal McElwain Malur, BA International Studies ’96, MA ’97, director of external programs at the Schar School of Policy and Government, helped plan the trips in coordination with the university’s Global Education Office.

Malur says Schar School students have been taking study-abroad trips to Mexico annually for the past 20 years. The Mexico study-abroad experience is one of about five trips a year that Malur plans for the school. “Since the inception of its study-abroad program, the Schar School has prioritized providing students with opportunities to explore consequential policy prob­lems facing the United States today,” says Malur, who assembled the itinerary and has helped lead a trip to the border for the past two years.

Each spring, a different professor teaches the three-credit course POGO 550 Topics in Policy and Government, which includes a weeklong trip to the border, and focuses on related current events such as trade, immigration, and security. This semester Schar School professor Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a foremost expert on border and immigration policy, taught the class.

The other border trip was part of a one-credit course offered to members of the Schar School’s Interna­tional Relations Policy Task Force (IRTF) to witness the causes and consequences of competing narra­tives surrounding border dynamics. Led by Schar School professor Eric McGlinchey, the task force invites upper-level students to engage with press­ing global challenges by pursuing a research topic of interest, networking with subject area experts, and working collaboratively to propose policy solutions.

“The fact that the trips were both at the border is a testament to the Schar School commitment of offering our students the opportunity to experience firsthand policy debates and see the consequences of the most important policies of the time,” says Malur.

Brownsville and Mexico City

Following President Biden’s highly publicized visit to Brownsville, Texas, graduate students in POGO 550 traveled to the U.S.–Mexico border town.

“We spent one whole day at the border, specifically at the border wall, and we spoke at length with a local editor about border security,” says Correa-Cabrera. “It was important to see this issue through the eyes of someone who covers it for newspapers for a population that relies on accurate information.”

Along the way, the group met with top industry and government leaders on both sides of the border, with whom they discussed the ongoing issues at the top of international headlines.

“Putting a face to the border was fascinating,” says Davis Kaderli, who is working on a master of public policy degree. “It is much more complex than the majority of Americans understand. What I actually saw isn’t what the mass media often portrays.”

For instance, while in Brownsville, the students heard harrowing stories of inadequate services provided to Americans in need along the border. In nearby Boca Chica, during a visit to the SpaceX complex, students met with residents in government partnerships and discussed how SpaceX impacts their community.

Students then visited Mexico City and the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where they had the opportunity to engage in conversations with decision-makers and attend lectures.

“Mexico was having elections in June this year,” Correa-Cabrera says. “The United States is having them in November. We put these elections in context for the students.”

Upon arriving in Mexico City, the students received a briefing from Miguel Siliceo, the senior economic advisor to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

The students were officially welcomed during a federal senate session followed by a meeting with the Vice President of the Senate, Mexican senator Sergio Perez Flores. The students say they gained insights from Mexican officials and policymakers on mutual challenges, as well as new avenues for cooperation and engagement.

“We had ridiculous access on this [trip], from [Obrador’s] senior economic advisor to a legislative briefing at the Mexican federal senate by the vice president of the senate,” says Chris Williams, who is working on a master’s degree in global commerce and policy.

Students also met with senior diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico and received a briefing on the challenges in current U.S.–Mexico relations. “[That] was my favorite session,” says Anduela Johnson, who is working on a master’s degree in international security. “It was interesting to hear how they are managing security issues and balancing economic implications. They see the relationship with the United States and our shared border differently.”

“I really valued the range of perspectives we heard,” says government and international politics major Gabe Dole.

El Paso and Juárez

This was the second year that the task force took students to El Paso and Juárez, says McGlinchey, who also led the trip. This year’s theme focused on competing narratives about migration at the border.

“This was an ideal location to learn, firsthand, how government action and inaction on questions of migration directly affect communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border,” says McGlinchey.

Abara, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering peace through educational programs around immigration and border realities, hosted the IRTF students. Working with the nonprofit and engaging with local community members and activists helped the George Mason students cultivate a deeper comprehension of border dynamics and the individuals affected.

Abara provided the students with volunteer experiences in some of the 32 shelters they work with both in El Paso, Texas, and Juárez, Mexico. The objective of these experiences was to allow students to engage with those directly impacted by the border issues, particularly migrants, through community service activities, such as assisting in the kitchen and garden.

“Being able to directly interact with migrants facing challenges at the border and putting faces to the topics often discussed in political discourse was incredible and provided me with an experience I will never forget,” says government and international politics major Kaylee Fernandez. 

“The media often shape public opinion on immigration yet fail to capture the perspectives of the migrants themselves,” Fernandez says. “That is why volunteering in the shelters was an unforgettable experience for me.” 

As an intern on Capitol Hill for U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly, Fernandez says the trip will continue to shape her perspective for years to come. “This experience has forever changed how I will approach drafting memos and understanding legislation related to immigration.”

Beyond volunteering in shelters, students had the opportunity to explore historical and political landmarks, engage with governmental and nongovernmental representatives, and connect with faculty and students from institutions in Juárez. One of the speakers was George Mason alum Sophia Wozniak, BA History; Government and International Politics ’19, who works as a project and data evaluator at the Emergence Health Network, a local mental health authority for the El Paso community.

Wozniak had taken the spring break border trip during her time at George Mason and says it influenced her career choices. “The Schar School was such a huge catalyst in the dominos of me ending up where I am now,” she says. “If it were not for the spring break trip to Mexico, I would have never discovered my deep interest in immigration issues and policy work.”

Public administration major William Barker, who was on their second trip to the border, had a similar experience. “The trip encouraged openness, dialogue, and connection, and the scenic overlook of El Paso and Juárez served as a poignant reminder of the diverse narratives and shared humanity that transcend borders,” they say.

“[This trip] reaffirmed my passion for international relations and helped me confirm what I want to do after graduation.”

Mariem El Gazzah, Aidan Jacobs, and Colleen Kearney Rich contributed to this article.