Verilu Infante 
BROWNSVILLE – “I was shocked…I…I-I didn’t have words.”
Lourdes Ruiz lives in Matamoros, Mexico and crosses the Cameron County Gateway International Bridge to study music education at UTRGV.
“Even before college, I’ve been crossing for about 10 years now,” said Ruiz.
One morning while on her way to an 8 AM class, she found the bridge was closed.
U.S. officials closed the bridge following an incident from earlier this month in which close to 300 undocumented immigrants blocked the Mexico side of the Cameron County Gateway International Bridge.
“I waited two hours in the line, and I was there since 6:30 and I crossed like at eight. 8:15, already really late to my piano class.”
Ruiz states she wasn’t upset after seeing photos of the migrants blocking and protesting.
“You know I was angry, but not at them. I was angry at the fact that that had to happen for people to realize how important it is to cross every day, and it saddens me that that had to happen for people to realize this is not just a political issue, it’s just an issue. An actual issue not, I’m right, I’m wrong, I’m democratic, I’m conservative. This is a human rights issue.”
We reached out to the Dean of Students to ask what can be done to aid students in situations like these.
“In the event that there are dynamic changes that impede the ability for students to be able to cross, or there are concerns of safety on a particular day, I would really encourage students to reach out to their faculty as soon as possible to let them know about their situation and I know that faculty would be willing to work in most cases with our students to ensure that they receive the information that they missed that particular day, or to make arrangements with them,” said Dean of Students Rebecca Gadson.
Gadson states in the case of a border closure and students are not able to cross back, UTRGV will work with students to give them temporary housing and necessities until they can return home.
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