New York Times bestselling author Luis Urrea entertained a packed McCord Auditorium on Tuesday with his personal narratives about his experiences as an immigrant and a missionary.

Urrea, a writer on U.S.-Mexico border issues, has authored the “The Devil’s Highway,” “The Hummingbird’s Daughter” and”The Queen of America.”

In recent years, he has gained recognition from migration activists for his work in increasing tolerance between Mexican and American communities.

But Urrea disagrees with thought that splits groups into immigrants and non-immigrants.

“We must move beyond binary thinking. We should not glorify or fetishize the border issue,” Urrea said.

The border issue is a complex one that involves crime, health, security and literature issues.

Before explaining how he became a well-versed writer on border issues, Urrea confronted a question that some in the crowd may have been thinking.

“Why do I look Irish? People say I don’t look Mexican,” Urrea said.

Urrea was born to a Mexican father with Irish lineage and an American mother from New York.

“My mother called me Lewis, and my father called me Luis,” Urrea said.

His childhood taught Urrea to understand the dynamics of poverty.

Urrea’s old neighborhood in Tijuana was infested with crime and disease.

Facing dire poverty, Urrea and his family moved to California where his father worked menial jobs.

In the United States, he tried to develop his cultural identity.

“I was told my tuberculosis was shameful. I was told not to tell people I was from Tijuana because it was shameful,” Urrea said. “All my life, I was not to tell people who I was.”

Urrea strongly disagrees with those who attempt to mask their identity and conform to society.

“Always honor you who you are and where you come from,” he said.

Urrea understands the border issue and its implications all too well.

“I was called greaser wetback one day at school. I didn’t know what it meant,” Urrea said. “And I went to class feeling dirty.”

When Urrea came home from school, his father told him that greaser refers to superior Mexican technology during Western expansion.

“My father told me that only Mexicans had grease for wagons. I knew it was a lie, but that’s when I understood the power of narrative,” Urrea said.

His father died in a tragic border incident when Mexican police officers tortured him for his life savings.

After attending college, Urrea did not know what to do for the rest of his life.

He worked menial jobs until he started work as a missionary in Tijuana.

Eventually, he became a translator for a Baptist minister who continues to work in the Tijuana area.

“That’s when I understood that when you have the gift of speaking, you have the responsibility of listening,” Urrea said.

His work in the garbage dumps of Tijuana affected him the most.

Garbage pickers live in and around dumpsites in Mexico to gain basic sustenance.

During his time in Tijuana, Urrea kept detailed stories about his travels, which eventually became the basis for his books.

After returning to the United States, he applied to be a janitor at Harvard University to pay the bills. To his surprise, he received a job offer as an instructor instead.

“Sometimes, life will make you forget why you are here. But sometimes, someone will remember who you are,” Urrea said.

Many have asked Urrea to take a political stance on the border issue.

“I won’t do it. I am a political agnostic,” Urrea said. “Force has not worked. Violence has not worked. Communication is key.”

Urrea has received an invaluable gift — beyond his wealth and fame — for his work in Mexico.

“If everything collapsed today, there is one place in the world that [people] will take care of me: the garbage dumps,” Urrea said.