THE TELLTALE SIGNS OF MISERY ARE ALL ALONG THE BORDER

By Juan Montoya

Each day after blood donors - many from Matamoros selling their plasma to local companies - emerge from having their blood drawn, one can see them walking around town with the tell-tale brown bandages wrapped around their arms to stanch any bleeding.

Many leave it on for a few hours as recommended as they go about doing their shopping with the $75 or so they earn per week through their donations. Others use restrooms in local stores - such as the downtown HEB - which cashes their payment made through debit cards, to dispose of their bandages. The store cashes the  cards if they make a minimum $5 purchase. 

Most dispose of it in the trash, but others just remove it and leave it on top of the sink. 

Still others remove them as they walk the streets and just throw them on the street. The brown bandages and white squares of gauze are sometimes seen on the sidewalks.

Up the river, in Hidalgo, a similar situation has developed, according to a news item broadcast by CHANNEL 5 NEWS where the
station reports that wads of blood bandages can be seen on the sinks, on top of hand dryers and the floor of the public restrooms at the Hidalgo International Bridge.

The news station say that people who frequently cross into Mexico say they’ve noticed the problem; some are hesitant to use the facilities. After selling their plasma, donors get their arm bandaged to stop the puncture wound from bleeding.

A woman explained to the station why donors take off their bandages before returning to Mexico. She said  donors are afraid that could be considered a steady income, therefore, considered as having employment in the U.S. without the proper work visa.

The stream of bandage wearers into the stores is steady in downtown Brownsville throughout the day and many donors emerge with their token purchases and a few dollars from the grocery store. 

Periodically, the plasma is carried off in refrigerated 28-wheeler trucks and armored trucks deliver cash and make pick ups from the store.

It  is a booming business that is pumping economic blood all along the border in South Texas with a disturbing byproduct, a potential biohazard of bloody gauze squares and brown arm bandages.