The town of Chaparral

Beyond the west Texas town of El Paso, in the southern deserts of New Mexico lies a little-known town called Chaparral. "Chapa-what?" you ask. Allow me to explain.

I journeyed to Chaparral accompanied by four friends from the Penn Newman Center and an Ecuadorian nun named Sister Silvia who belongs to an order of Assumption sisters that operates a mission in Chaparral. The sisters decided the people there needed help, so we decided to assist in answering the call.

The first thing that crosses your mind when Chaparral emerges from the dust beyond the Texas border is, "How am I going to survive here for a week?" The "town" is little more than a sprawling trailer park connected by roads, divided by chain-link fences, and equipped with a dollar store, a small grocery, and a few other local amenities. The second thing that crosses your mind is, "I hope our trailer has air-conditioning." By the end of the week, however, you forget that the first question ever existed and feel blessed that man invented AC.

The story of Chaparral has an "It's a Wonderful Life" kind of aura surrounding it. Many seemingly insurmountable problems exist there but the town teaches you that the resilience of compassion and the human spirit is never to be underestimated.

As for the problems, a significant portion of this Mexican-American settlement is composed of illegal immigrants. This means that Chaparral is considerably poor and that many of its residents live in constant fear of being discovered by the "migra" and sent back across the border. As with so many poor communities, alcoholism, drug abuse, violence, and teen pregnancy are troublingly prevalent. These are just a few of Chaparral's many problems. But the people there are extraordinarily resourceful, and their plans for progress are never na?ve.

The Assumption sisters and Kristin Prinn, an energetic and indomitable graduate of Saint Joseph's University, run an after-school program and summer camp designed to keep at-risk youth on the track to success. We had the fortune of serving as counselors and met some incredible kids who were eager to learn about college, origami, study abroad, and any other piece of knowledge we could offer them.

We had the chance to venture into their intermediate school (there is no high school in Chaparralbut thanks to grassroots mobilization, one is forthcoming) and into their homes where we were welcomed by open arms. The small health clinic there was built by the community, and on our first two days, we finished the work of clearing debris from a razed trailer that the community had worked together for weeks to help remove.

The citizens of Chaparral even managed to fight the law, and they won. El Paso wanted to construct a landfill conspicuously close to Chaparral, which would mean the town's land, water, and air would all become subject to noxious contamination. The Chaparralians took a stand in Santa Fe, and thanks to their efforts, what would have been an unsightly garbage dump will remain a harmless desert valley.

Additionally, the sisters are doing their best to set an example in every aspect of their living. Their home, for example, is specially constructed out of mud and straw and oriented so that it requires no artificial heating or cooling systems. The sun is all they need and that cuts down on energy costs and is environmentally non-intrusive. Their home is surrounded by gardening, and its many windows welcome the desert indoors. It's an extraordinarily simple and intelligent way to live and they hope more residents in Chaparral will follow their lead.

I find it difficult to stop here, and I also feel like I still owe the reader an opinion of some kind. Until visiting Chaparral, I was always a hard-liner on immigration: no compromise, tough luck.

But having seen it--them, really-- I don't have any easy answers. "They're not here to be leeches," says Prinn. "They're here to improve their lives. They're hard workers." That's absolutely true and important to note. Yet, we also need to find ways to regulate American citizenship and our borders. I could expound upon the corruption of our own government and that of Mexico, but the problem is more complex. I've come to no solid conclusion about immigration, illegal or otherwise. Really, there's only one opinion that I'm sure of in this situation.

The people and sisters of Chaparral are good people and I wanted you to know. They need your help and I wanted you to know that also. There are hundreds of Chaparrals across our nation and into the next. So if you aren't already, please, get involved. Help put a Chaparral on the map, even if it's just on your own.

Justin Tackett is a junior in the College from Pittsburgh.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.