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Ray Ybarra: filmmaker, fellow, activist

Ray Ybarra grew up in Douglas, Texas one block from the giant steel fence that separated the United States and Mexico. In 2005, he was chosen as one of six Ira Glasser Racial Justice Fellows by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in order to facilitate his research on border-related issues and is currently two-year leave from Stanford Law School. Ybarra recently visited the Grinnell campus to participate in panel discussions on border issues and to show his documentary, Farmingville.

Nick Hecker / The Scarlet & Black (web.grinnell.edu/sandb) Ray Ybarra at the Forum Wednesday night

Could you explain what it means to be a Racial Justice Fellow?

What the ACLU did was they put out a call for proposals on anything having to do with racial justice in the United States. Essentially what they wanted to do was highlight the fact that they feel racial justice is still a very valid concern for them. People traditionally associate First Amendment and separation of church and state issues with [the ACLU] but racial justice is a strong component.

So receiving this fellowship is what allowed you to conduct your project?

[The ACLU] give you the two-year salary and then they give you the office space. They bought me my camera and my [microphone] and all that stuff so I could do the documentary ... I'm not really accountable to anybody, I don't have a boss or anybody I have to report to or be in the office at a certain time. I just go out and cause trouble.

Have you considered how you might eventually use your law degree to further your goal?

My hope is ? when I go back to law school to be able to continue my work at the ACLU and expand it and get some more people to work with me or start a new organization based on all the experiences that I've had these two years that deals really more comprehensively with the issue of immigration on a global level ... and also to look at the human rights aspect as opposed to civil or constitutional rights.

If you could magically initiate any one change to further your goals what would that change be?

I would ? have undocumented immigrants themselves to organize and decide for themselves that we need to do something different than what's happening right now. There are barriers because, legally, it's hard for them to travel and get together ... but that would be my one dream: to have the undocumented community come together and make their own decisions about how they want to proceed.

You mentioned the effects of immigration on border communities.

One of the things that's really missing right now from the discussion about immigration is the effects our policies have on border communities. Mainly on Latinos who live near the border ... [T]hat mentality of seeing armed federal agents every day, of seeing helicopters fly over your house, of having a gigantic steel fence with stadium lights and sensors in your backyard really sends the message that you are at war. And your personal liberties are going to be restricted until the day you die

How do you account for apparently broad appeal of these militia groups?

I think the broad appeal of the anti-immigrant groups, the vigilantes, is fear ... And it's the same strategy that's been used by demagogues throughout the course of history. Fear is a great way to organize people and get them to see something your way.

How would private citizens, specifically Grinnell students, get involved with this issue?

Students will be responsible for the movement towards human rights with regard to migration and I think it's their obligation, as people of privilege, to reach out to communities that don't have as many opportunities as they have been fortunate to have and create a space to organize and assisting in organizing.

-interview by David Logan

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