Members of the International Relations Policy Task Force (IRTF), one of four learning communities at the Schar School of Policy and Government, traveled to the United States-Mexico border during March 2025 spring break. This annual trip, also a 1-credit course, allows students to witness the issues facing those who live in the surrounding area.
Georges Saade, a sophomore studying international security and law, writes about how the experience changed how he feels about the border and our neighbors in Mexico.
During my spring break, I had the opportunity to travel to the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas. This experience profoundly reshaped the way I see the barrier that divides us and our neighbors. The visit was made possible by Abara, a powerful nongovernmental organization (NGO) committed to creating spaces of encounter and dialogue at the border. Through its Border Encounters program, we were invited to engage with people and places that many only hear about in headlines.
One of the most memorable parts of the trip was our visit to Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ), just across the border in Juarez, Mexico. Crossing the bridge over the Rio Grande into Mexico was very quick and easy while crossing into the United States took hours for many of the Juarez locals and almost 45 minutes for U.S. citizens.
Once we made it to Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, the scenery quickly changed, but what struck me most wasn’t the difference in infrastructure or architecture, but how warmly we were welcomed by students from the UACJ sociology department. We had an open and very honest conversation and although we came from different sides of the border, we quickly realized how much we shared in common. We all listened to many different musical artists, enjoyed the same movies, and even played the same video games!
We walked into a big open conference room that had huge windows and randomly paired up with each other. The conversation began by discussing the current state of U.S.-Mexico relations, especially how policies and border enforcement affect people on both sides. For the students we met, the border is more than a topic of study, it’s an everyday reality. They spoke about the complexities of migration, and the reality of border security on the Mexican side as opposed to the U.S. side, not as distant issues like we see it in Northern Virginia, but as personal experiences that affect them daily. We shared our views as American students, and what struck me most was how everyone approached these tough topics with respect and a genuine curiosity as many of our ideas of the border were foreign to them.
As we talked, the conversation naturally shifted to cultural differences and similarities. One of my favorite conversations was comparing driving habits, which is something seemingly small, but surprisingly telling. I talked about the unpredictability and constant traffic in NOVA, and the Mexican students joked about many of the crazy drivers in Juárez and the chaos that scares many of them from getting their driver's licenses. We also talked about music, which quickly became a bonding point. From Eugenio Esquivel and La Cumbre to Morgan Wallen and Kendrick Lamar, we shared playlists, artists, and memories connected to songs. Music became a kind of universal language because it was something we all felt and understood, no matter what language we spoke.
By the end of our time together, what began as a formal exchange felt like a conversation among friends. We talked about our goals, fears, and hopes—many of us are motivated by a desire to make sense of our societies and improve them. The sociology students at UACJ were curious, passionate, and incredibly thoughtful. Despite the border that physically separates us, we found common ground through empathy and curiosity.
As I crossed back into El Paso with the rest of our group, I felt changed. The border, so often framed as a dividing line, had become a place of connection. Thanks to Abara and its commitment to these kinds of cross-border encounters, we were able to move beyond stereotypes and headlines and engage with people directly.