Field Note 2.1: The Wind Has No Papers

A field note on migration, meaning, and the soul of the Constitution

In the last waypoint, “To Gain the Wider View,” the trail grew steep and twisted — and our expectations, set too high, let us down. The remedy, we found, was to climb above them. To gain the wider view.

Not long after, we found ourselves witness to the tail end of the annual migration of California tortoiseshell butterflies, lifted upslope on Lassen’s invisible updrafts. Many had journeyed from northern Mexico and Baja California — without proper papers, their wings notwithstanding. And yet we do not call them “illegal.”

Most of them are nice, hard-working butterflies. Our silent neighbors. 

They do not eat our cats.

They do not eat our dogs.

They do not eat the pets of the people who live here.

They belong here.

They are part of a natural cycle, woven into the land they’re named for: Nymphalis californica.

Nymphalis californica, resting atop Lassen — wings folded, papers unasked (public domain).

Approaching the summit of Lassen, we gain the wider view — and from that height, no borders are visible. The wind blows where it will, following an ancient law, a natural law. Butterflies, ravens, and people do what they must to complete their lifecycles.

Now, I am not naive.

Man-made borders have their function. They are necessary. Not all who cross them are golden butterflies. Some are invasive. Some are wasps.

But let’s be clear: the U.S. border protects more than “blood and soil.” At its best, it defends a sacred idea — that before the law, all are equal, endowed with certain unalienable rights.

The Constitution protects people, not just citizens. It offers more than the “14 Words”¹ that quietly shape too much of our immigration policy. The Constitution guarantees due process to every man, woman, and child — because without that guarantee, if some masked raven accuses a spotted butterfly of being “illegal,” how could it possibly defend itself?

And if we allow that — if accusation alone becomes enough —

who then is the greater danger to the sacred idea the border is meant to protect?

1. The phrase “14 words” is a reference to a white nationalist slogan. It is invoked here in contrast to the universal ideals enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Learn more. ↩︎

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