Students assist immigrant communities

For one week in March, a group of JMU students were immersed in the culture, society and daily lives of immigrant communities along the Texas-Mexico border.

Breaking Down Barriers with LUPE, a JMU Alternative Break Program, exposes students to issues facing low-income residents of the Rio Grande Valley through direct service and education.

In partnership with La Union del Pueblo Entero, a local community organization, the students helped refurbish housing, feed the hungry and tutor residents in English. Participants also engaged in hands-on learning about immigration reform and other prevalent social issues through visits to the border wall, El Milagro Clinic and the colonias — impoverished areas lacking basic infrastructure and services.

“We’re not here to save these people,” said Gianluca Grignoli (’19), a political science major. “We’re here for a week, and no effort that we can do will compare to the work that the organization has been doing for much longer. … The main thing is that we’re here to learn and we’re here to understand.”