No Borders in the Flood: When Mexico Came for Texa

“When politics builds walls, care builds bridges. And in the floodwaters of July, Mexico built a bridge to Texas.” - Mary Coughlin

“When it comes to firefighters, there are no borders.”
— Mexican First Responder, July 2025

In early July, the Guadalupe River rose like a beast. Torrents swallowed the land. Cabins were crushed. Children swept away. The kind of devastation that leaves you breathless.

But in the heart of that tragedy, something else rose too.

Mexico came for Texas.

Not in headline-stealing grandeur. Not as a political calculation.
But with boots and boats. With search dogs and open hands. With firefighters who crossed the river not for profit, but for people.

They came because someone needed help.
And that was enough.

The Science, Soul, and Skill of Buffering

This moment was more than a feel-good story. It was trauma-informed care in action. It was the B.U.F.F.E.R. framework made flesh:

• Belonging that defied borders.

• Understanding of shared human vulnerability.

• Forgiveness of past wrongs in favor of present healing.

• Frameworks of cross-agency collaboration, not red tape.

• Equanimity in the face of chaos and grief.

• Respect for all life — no matter the language or license plate.

This is the Caring Science I believe in.
Not just a philosophy, but a practice. A posture. A promise.

Care that Crosses Lines

According to The Guardian, 13 Mexican firefighters and first responders joined search crews in Kerr County, bringing rescue dogs and supplies. They came from Ciudad Acuña — just across the border — and worked shoulder to shoulder with Texas crews. No one stopped to check passports.

In another account from Express-News, two young Mexican counselors, Silvana Garza Valdez and María Paula Zárate, saved at least 20 girls from drowning at Camp Mystic. Their bravery was recognized by the President of Mexico, but perhaps more powerfully — by the families whose children came home.

These were not abstract acts of charity. They were nervous system-level interventions. Real-time regulation. Co-regulation. The kind that helps people survive and begin to heal.

This Is the Thread I Want to Weave

It’s so easy to despair.
So tempting to scroll past, numb and outraged.

But then something like this happens.

A reminder that people — real people — will always outshine politics.
That borders are imaginary when someone is drowning.
That what saves us isn’t power. It’s presence.

This isn’t just about disaster relief.
It’s about the blueprint for who we want to be.

Let’s remember this story.
Let’s build from it.
Let’s never let systems make us forget that care is essential — and beautifully borderless.

With fierce love and awe,
Mary

P.S. If this moved you, stirred something in you, or simply made you feel less alone — I invite you to join my newsletter. It’s where I share reflections, resources, and reminders that care is still possible. Sign up here ➜ Monday Musings and News