Brown Mother of Exiles

This mural by Juan Ortiz illustrates the irony of the words on the Statue of Liberty directed towards immigrants vs. the reality for so many trying to cross the border. The shadow the tree on the mural looks like it is engulfing the boy who hangs on the barbed wire hoping for an opportunity to get in. I think the spider is part of the mural, spinning the barbed wire towards the children. The tag next to it is new since the last time I was there. Beneath the boy is a citation to Leviticus 19:33, "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat him." The words next to the statue of liberty say, "Mighty woman with a torch whose name is Mother of Exiles." The words around the girl's head are from Emma Lazarus's poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses" and the Spanish above the heart says, "Para los que perdimos en el desierto." For those we lost in the desert. This is a powerful work.