Longtime soap opera veteran Eva LaRue recently took a trip to the Mexican side of the United States Southern Border because she said she wanted to see beyond all the media noise and know for herself what is happening at this crucial place in our national and international conversation.
LaRue, who made her daytime comeback this year on The Young and the Restless, reported back and what she learned via Instagram, giving us stories of asylum seekers, what they are fleeing, and the difficulties they have with our immigration system. Let her tell you for herself what she found.
Via video we can see her as she walks over the bridge from El Paso, Texas into Mexico as she shows and tells us what she can see. Read and listen to her words as she has an important tale to tell.
“Week before last, I went to visit the El Paso/ Juárez border as part of a delegation from the Tahirih Justice Center and the Center for Civil and Human Rights. I wanted to see & learn about this humanitarian crisis for myself,” Eva La Rue said on her Instagram page.
“‘Remembering and telling the truth about terrible events are prerequisites both for the restoration of the social order and for the healing of individual victims’ were the words ringing in my head as we walked across the border into the City of Juárez with the 2nd highest murder and kidnapping rates in the world.”
Her videos also show you the conditions in Juarez, Mexico as asylum seekers wait months and sometimes years for a better life.
“Of course we can’t allow everyone within our borders, fundamental immigration reform is desperately needed, and advocating for improved legislation is imperative,” Eva LaRue continued. “The opinions on immigration are endless, but I really felt the need to be a compassionate witness to this Spiritual crisis.
“It was three days of what felt like a firehose in the face of info. We were guided by boots on the ground lawyers, NGO’s and advocates guiding us through tent cities, detention centers, immigration courts, and refugee shelters, while trying to educate us on the tangle of new policies meant to shut the doors on the most vulnerable asylum seekers (women, children, families) — many with a right, according to US law, allowing them to legally seek safety in the US based on immediate need-fleeing extreme violence, cartel trafficking & persecution.”
In a second posting, she told the story of a family she met and their difficulties navigating the asylum-seeking system.
“This photo is of unbelievably courageous women who shared their stories with us that day, of fleeing unfathomable violence and torture, only to find themselves in living in constant fear of being kidnapped, raped and/or trafficked by cartel running the border(faces are blurred for their safety).
“Heartbreaking stories of escaping Gangs in their countries threatening to take daughter’s if a cartel “tax” isn’t paid, which of course, they couldn’t afford. Stories from El Paso/Juárez of US Border Patrol of Mexican/American descent with families from Juárez having their families threatened by cartel.
“So much I can’t even say here that make this hell on earth! 55K asylum seekers from more than 35 different countries waiting for months if not years on the border in complete squalor, trying to navigate a system that is a living nightmare of separation, detention and roads to nowhere.
“While we were visiting immigration court, one family broke down in tears when their lawyer never showed and they realized they had given their last dime as a retainer to a law firm that didn’t exist.
“They had waited 6 months on the border for that court date and won’t get another now until March. This family had already escaped a kidnapping and was now facing being separated by the court from their teenage son (who was shaking & crying). This isn’t a matter of politics, it’s a matter compassion for our fellow human beings. There is room in everyone’s heart for many different causes like Homelessness & children in extreme poverty in America..I don’t have to choose 1 over another, I can choose all. Hearts should be borderless and boundless.”
See all of what the courageous actress wrote, as well as her photos and videos in the Eva La Rue Instagram posts below.
For new and returning fans, when you’re done with news and games on Soap Hub, visit our shop and pick up some Soap Hub Shop swag. There is something for everyone!
It was a week filled with drama in Genoa City. Read More
They're more alike than you'd think! Read More
Taylor needs to cut Ridge off before this goes too far. Read More
Claire's gift to Nikki will brighten her whole day. Read More
B&B spoilers video for December 23-27 reveal a less than peaceful Christmas for the Forresters… Read More
Y&R teasers hint that Phyllis isn’t in the Christmas spirit this year. Read More