They came to the United States in great caravans. They were tired and hungry, scared, and unsure of what their future would be. Many of them were families, mothers, husbands, children, and elderly grandparents, all of them having left their former lives behind them. When they reached the U.S. border, however, they faced even more challenges than those they’d faced along the way.
In the past, people have come to America in order to find opportunity. They had come here for a better life. Unfortunately, the promises that once drove thousands into the ports around Manhattan are no longer any sort of guarantee. There are many reasons for this, of course, but none of them have stopped folks surging towards the U.S.-Mexico border…
Apprehension
It’s only March of 2019 but so far this year, detainments of undocumented families in Texas continues have surged to more than triple what they had been the year prior. Most of these apprehensions are taking place directly at the southwest U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, a place that has seen the most family units approaching the border.
Seeking Asylum
To be fair, most of the undocumented families looking to cross the southern border are here seeking asylum from whatever is going on in their homeland. These people are so desperate to escape that they are crossing illegally, which of course gives rise to a xenophobic mindset amongst Americans. Like it or not, there happen to be good reasons behind that mindset…
Job Concerns
It’s safe to say that there is a high percentage of Americans who are worried about the effect undocumented, illegal immigrants will have on our economy. This makes sense to a degree, as more people entering the already strained workforce, would mean fewer jobs for America’s already out-of-work citizens.
Limited Resources
There is also a concern, albeit an extreme one, that says America’s resources, financial and otherwise, are too limited to support the huge influx of refugees from South and Central America. Again, this is not exactly wrong, but it’s not exactly correct either. What concerns Americans most is that many of these folks may actually bring their troubles with them…
A Sea of Troubles
Americans worry that cartels, drugs, and gangs like the exceptionally violent MS-13, might make their way into the country on the backs of the downtrodden men, women, and children seeking asylum in the country. There is plenty of evidence of these things becoming more prevalent in parts of Texas, New Mexico, and many other border states.
Reasons
Undocumented immigration has been a problem for a number of years now, but the current influx of families currently waiting in the shadow of the El Paso border seems different somehow. These folks are looking for asylum, not looking to sneak underneath the system and their desire to do so is likely the direct result of the current administration’s policies…
Trickling In
It began in earnest last fall when Customs and Border Patrol agents began intercepting migrants on international bridges. Their goal was to turn back potential asylum-seekers and explain to them that only a small number of them could be processed each day. Unfortunately, the sheer numbers meant that this would be difficult to do in an orderly fashion.
Expert Opinion
Jessica Bolter, a researcher with the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute, recently spoke to the Tribune about these increased numbers. She says that the ramifications for turning so many away, day after day, will lay in an increased amount of people being smuggled illegally into the country…
Learning the Patterns
“Smugglers do learn quickly about the most effective routes to bring people into the country,” Jessica explained. “…turning away asylum seekers is likely to cause increased illegal crossings and also to cause people to go to remote ports of entry.” Indeed, people so desperate to escape may have no problem circumventing the system, especially as it isn’t currently working for them.
The Real Story
Desperation can make people do many things. Fear is among the most common reasons for these families to flee their home countries. Fear of their own government as in Brazil, fear about the continually-dwindling economy like in Venezuela, or fear of the violent altercations between Mexican cartels. Those aren’t the only reasons, however…
Fear
In some countries though, racial, religious or socio-economic divides, anti-LGBTQ sentiment, or other aspects of social injustice, can be just as much of a reason to want to leave. It is therefore reasonable that people with children, people who are living in poverty or in fear of the dangers around them would want to seek a new life in America; a place known for so long as “the land of opportunity.”
A Steady Stream
The numbers are staggering. 136,150 family units were apprehended on the southwest border between October 2018 through February 2019. That is a 338 percent jump from the same period last year. People are wondering if this represents some kind of crisis similar to what happened with the huge influx of Syrian refugees coming into mainland Europe some years back…
Crisis
According to CBP commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan, this increased flow presents both border security and a humanitarian crisis. “[It] challenges our resources and personnel and is negatively impacting border security,” he explained in a recent press conference. Still, it’s difficult to try and see the situation from both angles.
Parallels
Many parallels can be drawn between the families seeking political asylum in the U.S. and the Syrian refugees seeking the same in places like Italy, France, and Germany. Nevertheless, the American response to giving help to those in need has been somewhat more withholding than that of other nations; again, this can be blamed mostly on the administration.
Emergency Declaration
Meanwhile, as the numbers continue to rise, President Donald Trump continues to push for his long-promised border wall on America’s southwest border. He recently issued an emergency declaration that would allow him access to billions in Department of Defense funds that will now be used to pay for the wall.
The Promised Wall
The “Border Wall” and immigration reform as a whole were both cornerstones to Trump’s presidential campaign. He promised to take a hard line on illegal immigration, thereby feeding on America’s existing fears about foreigners. It was a hard line to take, considering his opposition, but it worked…
The Government Shutdown
When the time came for Trump to get access to the funds needed to construct this border wall, however, things took a turn. The President had always asserted that “Mexico would pay for the wall” but Mexico made it very clear they were not. He moved to get the funds the traditional way and was so stymied by his political opponents, that the government shut down for an unprecedented 35 days.
Changing Laws
Many believe that the President’s proposed border wall will act as a way to deter migrants from crossing. Then again, it may only force those who want to enter legally into doing so illegally in order to escape what awaits them should they be turned away. Another potential solution could involve changing the asylum laws, but that would take time as well; time these folks don’t have…
The Breaking Point
If the laws and processes are changed to allow families to be processed more quickly, then things might level off and numbers might drop. Unfortunately, Commissioner McAleenan believes that “the system is well beyond capacity and remains at the breaking point.” There’s no telling what might happen next.
Blocking the Motion
Thus far, the U.S. House has already voted to block the emergency declaration, and all signs point to the Senate doing the same thing. This will only work if Democrats and a handful of like-minded Republicans join forces to oppose the president’s action. Wall or not though, the problem isn’t about to go away and neither are the many families seeking asylum.
