The issue of border integrity has always been a controversial topic leading to conflict and tense relations between people and nations. In The New Colossus: Exploring the Idea of Border by John Washington, the author highlights the hardships that immigrants go through when trying to access border crossing. In a unique perspective, Washington points out the mistreatment and abuse that immigrants which follow them from the border crossing up to the country of residence despite them running away from political and economic persecutions at their home. Washington’s argument is that immigrants should not be mistreated nor faced with the brutality just because their legal status is not valid. With focus on the American-Mexican border, the author presents evidence of how Mexicans who have illegally crossed the border are forced to live in insanitary conditions after arrest while chained inhumanely after being roughly carried in crammed trucks. The paper provokes one to reconsider the plight of immigrants, even when illegal, as one considers the brutality endured with them being forced to crawl through cactus plants without adequate food and water supplies.
When referring to borders, Washington is concerned with the geographical borders between two countries as well as racial and class borders in the social sphere. The writer acknowledges that historically; borders have been associated with violence and have often led to separation of families and culture divisions. The observation is accurate as most conflicts involving borders have led to wars, deaths, and deep animosities between nations. In addition, cultural, racial, and social borders such as segregation and apartheid have also been recorded to have caused much conflict and animosity between the various groups involved (241).
In the American scenario, one complex element in the issue of border crossing by illegal immigrants is that as much as American authorities and citizens push for the absolute expulsion of those who make it across the border, they at the same time greatly benefit from cheap labor by Mexicans. Washington therefore cautions against the inhumane treatment of immigrants especially when it is considered that America is a country fundamentally built by immigrants (254). He notes that even in the founding and establishment of America, there had to be “bloody conquest of the native people” where the Native Indians were killed and displaced as the New World immigrants from Europe settled in America.
With such a background, it follows that the Americans should not advance border discrimination by mistreating Mexicans and others attempting to cross into the country especially when they are being exiled from life threatening situations back at home. Institutionally and individually, American should therefore strive to welcome immigrants and humanely process the ones considered illegal. For those Mexicans and other immigrants in America already, Washington’s ultimate message is that there should be no social or cultural borders erected between those born in America and those who immigrated in regards to racial discrimination and class mistreatment.
To deliver his message effectively, Washington uses statistical evidence to demonstrate the seriousness and realness of the border plight faced by immigrants. He reports that in 2009 alone, 213 immigrants died in the Arizona deserts while attempting to cross into America. The data here shows how lack of proper border structures in regards to humane processing and handling of immigrants. While these deaths are not directly linked with actions of American authorities or citizens, the author attempts to demonstrate an indirect correlation between the reputations of previous brutal treatment of Mexican immigrants by U.S border authorities and the calamities faced by immigrants as they strive to evade falling into the same fate. The fate here is compared to that that was experienced by the slaves as Washington explains about “…the shock of seeing chained men and women (shackled ankles, wrists, and waist) hobbling in the rhythm of their manacles…like slaves” (243). The imagery painted by this description evokes emotions of empathy from the reader who sympathizes with the cruel and brutal treatment of the Mexicans who are treated as slaves due to the attempt to cross the border. To provide validity to the evidence and explanations of the immigrant’s plight, Washington informs the reader that he was physically present in such situations as he worked as a volunteer in Nogales.
Another work of literature dealing with the issue of border separations is Leslie Silko’s “The Border Patrol State”. In the text, Leslie point out that the border patrol is an example of government sponsored torture and murder as illegal immigrants arrested are interrogated in brutal conditions invoking personal experiences in the evidence she gives. The author shows how the border issue also affects even resident citizens in America who find themselves being socially castigated if they are travelling with people deemed as immigrants. In particular, Leslie states that White people can be discriminately stopped and checked by border patrol if they are travelling in the same car as brown people, on suspicion of working to aid illegal immigration (123).
On an objective analytical look, Silko’s writing to some extent cannot be acceptable as a solid valid and reliable factual reporting. The author bases most of the text’s arguments on personal experiences some which are questionable in their value in supporting the narrative as they appear contradictory. For example, she describes an incident where she was stopped by border patrol at New Mexico State Road 26 as they came from Albuqurque headed Southwards together with her companion Gus. Leslie reports that she “sensed a feeling of violence and menace” and compared the police as those mentioned in a report she read about the addiction to torture, murder, and interrogation developed by Argentina Police. There is empirical evidence of how this violence and menace was manifested. She goes on to explain how the police dog had “an innate dignity” which prevented it from serving the “murderous impulses of those men” and that she felt a connection between her and the police dog as they were both scared of the intentions of the men (124).
Leslie’s report sounds so subjective, emotional, and unreliable especially when she reveals that she had marijuana in her purse which the dog did not sniff suggesting that the dog deliberately avoided exposing this to the border patrol officers. In particular, Leslie writes that the border patrol dog “refused” to expose her marijuana and that the dog had an expression in her eyes that suggested the dog “was embarrassed to be associated with them” (126). The credibility of such a narrative is in debatable and there are possible elements of exaggeration and hyperbolic writing. The report is very emotional and conjecture not based on realistic or serious evaluations, even for a personal anecdotal, when reporting about such serious issues as state brutality through organs such as border patrol.
For such a serious topic, the writer should have limited the experiences to those with believable and logical explanations such as quoting actual words and describing concrete actions that reflected brutality and harassment as opposed to emotions, feelings and intuitions that others cannot prove. At the same time, Leslie accurately demonstrates how border patrol is supposed to protect the American citizens but instead use their position to harass them and restrict their movements. All this goes against the education system teachings and constitutional tenets of freedom of movement. In another anecdotal experience, Leslie describes how border patrol once pulled over a van with football players (in full uniform) and put a gun on the head of their coach. There is no reference to this, and many other such personal stories, where the reader can conduct independent verifications. Due to the man claims made regarding the brutality of the border patrol that are not sustained, the writing comes off as unbalanced and not reliable.
Another text that provides a perspective of the border issues in America is “The Space Between” by Kimi Eisele. The author addresses border issues including the definition and perceptions of people who live on either side of the border as well as stereotypes held about those people attempting to cross borders especially from Mexico to America. With firsthand experience from living in the small Mexican town of Nogales, Kimi describes how borders physically, cultural, and socially affect the lives of people especially those living near such restrictive limits. As artificial constructs, borders are viewed to usually impact the lives of those near them more especially when there are stereotypes attached to such people.
Kimi’s perceptive analysis can be compared by the sentiments in the article by Caitlin, Ron, Helene, and Elisabeth in the 2018 New York Times article Migrants at the Border: Here’s Why There’s No Clear End to Chaos. Caitlin et al., describe how border patrol guards at the San Ysidro Southern California used tear gas to hold back migrants attempting to enter United States. Interestingly, Mexico government is reported as being involved in joint operations of preventing the caravans from crossing into the border (Dickerson, Nixon, Cooper and Malkin, 1). The use of violence and physical restraining the migrants does not appear logical or fair considering migrants have the opportunity to be processed legally and given a status as per their application and purposes in visiting America. It therefore follows that either the border patrol authorities are not adequately informed of the legal options in processing migrants who are crossing the border as asylum seekers or the authorities are intentionally limiting or denying the immigrants the opportunity for legal asylum processing. In the backdrop of President Trump’s vow to make asylum applicants to wait in Mexico while they wait processing, the authors suggest the latter reason of deliberate frustrating asylum seekers is more plausible.
A government policy termed by the Trump administration as ‘metering’ puts a restricting limit on the number of people that can apply for asylum in a day has led to large masses of number being witnessed at the border. The writers report about 3,000 people waiting for processing at the border. A the writers report, the policy guidelines of customs and border protection manual state that officers have been authorized to use deadly force and less lethal force as tear gas for crowd control. When left to the discretion of the officer in charge on what to do, it is possible that the police can abuse their power and use deadly force such as shooting dead the immigrants at the excuse of crowd control. Although military personnel are forbidden by the law from engaging in law enforcement activities within the United States, 1,300 American troops have already been deployed to the borders to supplement the border patrol. The move shows a combative approach towards the immigrants who are usually unarmed and not a threat to national security that warrants military intervention.
In the article ‘The US- Mexico Border and Mexican Migration to the United States: A 21st Century Review Jacqueline Mazza presents a juxtaposition of primary trends in the immigration in America under the Trump administration. With focus on the Mexican-US border, the writer focuses on how border crossing as the biggest source of undocumented migration. The article argues that reducing the number of undocumented immigrants is vital in managing costs and reducing related inconveniences as a policy goal. However, instead of spending so much on border security and management, the author favors effective processing of visa programs to fill labor market demands in the United States.
Works Cited
Dickerson, C., Nixon, R., Cooper, H. and Malkin, E. Migrants at the Border: Here’s Why There’s No Clear End to Chaos. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/26/us/politics/migrants-border-trump-html [Accessed 1 Dec. 2018].
Eisele, K. “The Space in Between”. Border and Immigration. Retrieved at http://nextgensd.com/researcher/kimi-eisele/
Mazza, Jacqueline. "The US-Mexico Border and Mexican Migration to the United States: A 21st Century Review." SAIS Review of International Affairs 37.2 (2017): 33-47.
Silko, Leslie Marmon. "Americas Iron Curtain: The Border Patrol State." Understanding Inequality: The Intersection of Race/ethnicity, Class, and Gender (2001): 116.
