Life And Death As An Immigrant
More than a half-million people protested horrible Republican Immigration bills in L.A and across the country, but since 1998 more than 3000 people have died in the desert heat while trying get to a job mowing your lawn, watching your kids and rebuilding our communities.
How do we thank them?
Tony Herrera
“U.S. to Illegal Immigrants: Drop Dead.”
As Spring arrives and the days become warmer my mind begins to focus on Summer. I think of Summer and the promise of scorching 100+ degree days in our deserts of Arizona. While the heat begins to rise in our deserts our Congress is involved in its own intense and heated debate over illegal immigration. No matter what position one might take on the issue of illegal immigration the fact remains that this year over 300 men, women and children will die as they make a desperate attempt to illegally enter our country.
During the period of 1998-2004 over 3000 deaths were recorded in the surrounding desert areas of Tucson, Arizona. The deaths are a result of a shift in migration patterns by illegal immigrants as they sought alternative routes due to an increased border patrol presence and fences built on the border between San Diego and Tijuana. The beefed up Border Patrol presence and fencing resulted in the smugglers and immigrants moving further inland to desolate areas in their effort to reach the U.S. undetected.
The majority of the immigrant smuggling trade is now transacted in the Naco, Arizona and Naco, Sonora, Mexico region. It is no small secret that the Mexican town of Naco functions mostly as launching point from which Mexican and Central American immigrants attempt their perilous journey into the United States. The deaths have continued for the past 10 years and they have attracted the attention of various groups such as No More Deaths an organization that has openly provided humanitarian aide despite the risk of arrest and fines for their actions. A list of some of the dead is provided here.
As the Senate prepares to tackle the most sweeping immigration reforms in years, a top Democrat has vowed to do everything in his power, including filibuster, to thwart Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist’s proposed overhaul. Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, has stated that he would “use every procedural means at my disposal” to prevent Frist from bypassing the Judiciary Committee. Majority Leader Frist has made clear the Senate will take up his proposal next week in the event the 18-member committee fails to complete a broader bill.
Whether or not Congress can agree on a comprehensive immigration bill remains to be seen. In the meantime a bill approving a new 700 mile long fence on the Mexican border with Arizona has been passed. The bill will force employers to check the Social Security numbers of new hires against a national database. The bill also contains all sorts of punitive measures - such as making it a felony for illegal immigrants to be here and making it a felony for anyone who knowingly helps an illegal immigrant.
Twenty years after passing the most sweeping immigration reform our leadership in Congress now fails to reach common ground on immigration reform and has enacted potentially dangerous and regressive immigration policies.
In California issue of illegal immigration has been a hotly contested debate especially since then Gov. Davis granting Illegal Immigrants Drivers Licenses. The much touted accomplishment of Sen. Gil Cedillo were short lived as Gov. Schwarznegger citing Homeland Security issues forced the Assembly to cave and grant a repeal of the same law.
As we continue this contentious debate angry voices will rise from both sides, as surely as the heat in the Arizona desert. Indeed protest and demonstrations are already being scheduled in major cities including Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Las Cruces, New Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona.
The images to come will likely be seized upon by our mainstream media and used to boost ratings but will fail to provide any real contribution towards healthy dialogue that could contribute towards resolving the issue of illegal immigration. The images that our mainstream media is likely to provide will be those of groups engaged in heated exchange of words - such as inviduals from the Minuteman Project and Immigration Watchdog locked in angry shouting matches with pro immigration groups the likes of NCLR and MALDEF.
As insults get traded and angry voices rise during our Nations debate on illegal immigration, the death toll will also rise in the sorching heat of the Arizona desert.
Something has to give.
Tags: activism, Bill Frist, Border Control, California, Congress, Harry Reid, immigration, legislation, Mexico, New World Order, politics, protest, Republican Party, Senate, Tony Herrera.
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From 1996 to 2001 my husband and I spent our winters near the Mexican borders from Texas to California. (we were full time rvers/travelers) During that time (all of 21 months) we counted 380 deaths in the deserts near where we were camping. Most of them were from freezing to death however rather than the desert heat. It gets really coldat night in the desert in the winter months. I don’t know what the answer is to this problem, but I do know the horrid poverty these people are trying to escape in Mexico. I also understand just how much our farming/food supply depends on their labor; especially in the southwest. Without this cheap labor our food costs will go out of sight.
the whole situation stinks and reminds me of the slave days.
this nation was built on the backs of free-wage slaves. they gave the masters of the time a competing edge by building capital without the overhead. when i look at this situation, and the global economy of multinational corporations finding and/or setting slave wages around the world, i have a really hard time differentiating between those days and now.
we have to get away from the mindset of high profit margins at any cost, particularly in regards to life sustaining industries such as farming. i doubt that’s a conversation that anyone in america will be willing to engage in…
Wow what a crazy bill! And, wow — what a mass of people out there protesting!
(And… Wow, how little media-attention — at least here in Europe.)
On modern-day slavery: “The greatest trick the slavemaster ever pulled was convincing the world that it only exploited specific races and that it didn’t exist anymore.” — me.
Sean,
I’m grateful to you for drawing attention to my post. Thank You.
Fortunately, On Monday, March 27th the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12 to 6 in favor of the McCain bill. The McCain bill has provisions for a guest worker program, citizenship options and workplace enforcement.
The next pragmatic step would be for Congress to pass the bipartisan bill and keep a small but increasingly vocal fringe element of the Republican party, media demagogues (read = Lou Dobbs) and freelance xenophobes from hijacking this issue. These groups only seek to increase the level of hostility, stoke the flames of a supposed invasion and reconquest of territory historically lost by Mexico.
Geez, if I wasn’t actually living through it all…I’d think it was some captivating science fiction story from Bruce Sterling. : )
But, seriously my heartfelt and sincere. Thank You!
no thanks necessary, tony. you’re doing an amazing job communicating the struggle on the ground and in the courts. i’m just doing my part in nudging traffic to important stories.
fear tactics are becoming obvious to everyone nowadays; we — citizen journalists — need to be explicit in framing the roots of fear. the more that we openly speak of them, the more courage our representatives will display in congress.
hopefully.
It is a bit ironic but Hannity and Colmes will be interviewing the founder of Immigration Watchdog.
In my view this is one of those websites that stokes the fears of white America with notions that Mexican immigrants are invading this country with the intent of reconquering territory lost by Mexico to the US.
From the Immigration Watchdog website:
“We’ll be talking about the Reconquista movement and my Nation of Aztlan video, along with other illegal immigration issues.” - TheWatchdog
http://www.immigrationwatchdog.com/?p=937
I am sick as hell of all who use the death toll of illegal aliens as a spring board of oppunity to say that it’s the United States fault for their deaths, the Mexican Government is responsible for it’s Citizens, or atleast they should be. There are people straving to death in Africa, and all over the world. U.S Citizens can pick their own veggies, for the bleeding hearts like the La. Catholic church, they should feed cloth, and provide shelter for all illegals that they help. Any Child born to an illegal alien should be deported, people who come here illegally are responsible for seperating their families, so they come here, and then cry “I have family in Mexico, how can you seperate us?” That Sh-t is crazy. We will not be controled by Mexico who have given their citizens the green light to invade.
The invasion must be stopped. People believed that the 2004 election was a real
“turning point” - mainly because main stream media told us so!! Obviously, another incorrect diagnosis by the media in an attempt to feel relevant. Simply, par for the course. The real pivot point will be the 2008 election. This will be the last chance for “REAL” American citizens to save their sovereignty. Even though illegals will be voting, it will not be at the level that they can “swing” an election. Hopefully, we’ll be able to save ourselves and our country. If not, our democracy will become another ill-fated experiment - though certainly, the best effort thus far.
John a and Annie and the rest of the closed-minded ignorant people-we need to look at the situation for what it is these people are coming to make a better life if you or anyone else was in their situation they would do the same WHAT IS BEST FOR THEIR FAMILY!!Yes ofcourse there is poverty everywhere but these immigrants take the greatest risk for their family.And if they do make them leave from U.S.then we’ll see if Americans can really pick thier own veggies or see if their ass will be on the couch being lazy or at McDonalds…and I do think America feels they are a threat because they are the fastest growing population and it is true they can swing an election which leads to us getting the president that is more conveniant to us!!!!