January 25, 2010
Last night I watched a documentary that affected me to the core. The film was called ‘Which Way Home?’ originally an HBO special presentation that was shown on CBC’s Passionate Eye. It documented the journey of children travelling on their own to escape the poverty of Central America and enter the United States illegally. I was especially heartbroken over a little 10 year-old named Jose, who had been travelling from El Salvador for nearly three years in the hands of smugglers. The smugglers were discovered and they abandoned Jose in Mexico, where he was detained and would be deported back to El Salvador. All of the children’s stories made me feel so sad, but Jose’s tear stained face and tiny shivering body made me ache for him – I could truly empathize that he was alone and frightened, as well as hopeless that he would be returning to his old life and never have the opportunity to get ahead.
These children could have been my family. My maternal family is Guatemalan and came from a life of poverty. It was only a couple of years ago when a family member admitted that they had made the journey with smugglers to escape the grime of Guatemala and find a better life in the United States. They took the same route as many of these children and were transported with a number of other migrants hoping to gain the prospect of having an education and finding sustainable employment. The crossing is dangerous and many die due to the harsh weather and travel conditions. Today's question is: what are the entry points used by migrants to cross into the US?
A: The border between Mexico and the United States stretches over California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The border is 2000 miles long, with 670 miles of fencing between the two countries.
The most popular location for immigrants to cross used to be in California. Some would make the crossing over the San Diego freeway, running the risk of being hit cars. This problem prompted the installation of signs informing drivers to stay alert and watch out for migrants in the road. Increased border control has made it more difficult to slip through without being noticed. Despite this, the state of California has the highest residence rate of unauthorized immigrants, approximately 25%.
The unfenced, rural mountainous and desert border between Arizona and Mexico has become a major entrance point for unlawful migration to the United States. Many try to cross the Sonoran Desert and the Baboquivari Mountain to a better life, however usually succumb to dehydration, hypothermia or heat stroke and perish on the journey. One of the major points of border guarding is at the trail called El Camino Del Diablo (literally translated to The Devil’s Walk); if migrants cross the border, the struggle to make it through the desert is a difficult and taxing.
Texas has the second highest rate of rate of illegal resident amongst its population. The Rio Grande is a natural boarder between Texas and Mexico and is heavily guarded. A number of migrants die by drowning, as the current is strong and drags individuals down in its undertow.
Sources:
Reuters: Factbox Illegal Immigration in the US
US Immigration Support: Illegal Immigration from Mexico
Wikipedia: Mexico-United States Border
Wikipedia: Migrant Deaths Along the Mexico-US Border
Wikipedia: Illegal Entry
Wikipedia: Illegal Immigration to the United States
Last night I watched a documentary that affected me to the core. The film was called ‘Which Way Home?’ originally an HBO special presentation that was shown on CBC’s Passionate Eye. It documented the journey of children travelling on their own to escape the poverty of Central America and enter the United States illegally. I was especially heartbroken over a little 10 year-old named Jose, who had been travelling from El Salvador for nearly three years in the hands of smugglers. The smugglers were discovered and they abandoned Jose in Mexico, where he was detained and would be deported back to El Salvador. All of the children’s stories made me feel so sad, but Jose’s tear stained face and tiny shivering body made me ache for him – I could truly empathize that he was alone and frightened, as well as hopeless that he would be returning to his old life and never have the opportunity to get ahead.
These children could have been my family. My maternal family is Guatemalan and came from a life of poverty. It was only a couple of years ago when a family member admitted that they had made the journey with smugglers to escape the grime of Guatemala and find a better life in the United States. They took the same route as many of these children and were transported with a number of other migrants hoping to gain the prospect of having an education and finding sustainable employment. The crossing is dangerous and many die due to the harsh weather and travel conditions. Today's question is: what are the entry points used by migrants to cross into the US? A: The border between Mexico and the United States stretches over California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The border is 2000 miles long, with 670 miles of fencing between the two countries.
The most popular location for immigrants to cross used to be in California. Some would make the crossing over the San Diego freeway, running the risk of being hit cars. This problem prompted the installation of signs informing drivers to stay alert and watch out for migrants in the road. Increased border control has made it more difficult to slip through without being noticed. Despite this, the state of California has the highest residence rate of unauthorized immigrants, approximately 25%.
The unfenced, rural mountainous and desert border between Arizona and Mexico has become a major entrance point for unlawful migration to the United States. Many try to cross the Sonoran Desert and the Baboquivari Mountain to a better life, however usually succumb to dehydration, hypothermia or heat stroke and perish on the journey. One of the major points of border guarding is at the trail called El Camino Del Diablo (literally translated to The Devil’s Walk); if migrants cross the border, the struggle to make it through the desert is a difficult and taxing.
Texas has the second highest rate of rate of illegal resident amongst its population. The Rio Grande is a natural boarder between Texas and Mexico and is heavily guarded. A number of migrants die by drowning, as the current is strong and drags individuals down in its undertow.
Sources:
Reuters: Factbox Illegal Immigration in the US
US Immigration Support: Illegal Immigration from Mexico
Wikipedia: Mexico-United States Border
Wikipedia: Migrant Deaths Along the Mexico-US Border
Wikipedia: Illegal Entry
Wikipedia: Illegal Immigration to the United States
No comments:
Post a Comment