It is a well-documented aspect of human nature for a powerful majority to scapegoat a smaller, less powerful minority in order to eliminate their problems and wage a campaign including violence and slander toward their intended victim. This has horrifically occurred in history, ranging from the China Mongolians to Adolf Hitler’s treatment of the European Jewish population and is also demonstrated in beloved Saturday morning cartoons, ranging from Tom and Jerry’s incessant battles to Wile E. Coyote’s attempts to con the Road Runner. In modern America, one current scapegoat is their Mexican neighbor, and the accompanying scapegoating campaign has manifested itself in the cry for a border wall. This concept was led on the Presidential campaign …show more content…
The idea of a border wall is certainly not fresh in the American mindset or even the global mindset. Many walls have been built before, such as the Berlin Wall and Wall of Constantinople, which both failed; perhaps the most infamous and preeminent of all border walls is the Great Wall of China. It is often viewed as the pinnacle ancient achievement, what is widely unknown is that its size and grandeur is matched only by the size of its colossal failure. Segments of the wall were built during the …show more content…
While a human culture and society may be able to comprehend a separation by borders and walls, animals and their habitats can not. A border wall would have a drastic, negative impact on the lives of animals. Many species would be separated from their old habitats and feeding grounds because there is no way to cross for them. As a result of this, certain species have a potential to become extinct, and more border enforcement would only act as a catalyst for this. There is also the issue of rain water and flooding. On a section of the Arizona-Mexican border fence, the American government failed to plan for heavy rainfall so during a particularly heavy rainstorm, the fence blocked any water from flowing into the U.S. and kept it all on the Mexican side, creating 20 feet of water with nowhere to go and causing enormous amounts of damage and even two deaths by drowning (HBO). The border fence not only damaged the environment and hurt animals, it also caused two people to suffer painful deaths. An exponentially bigger border wall would only yield exponential pain and
The United States-Mexico border represents a microcosm, a cross section of humanity's downtrodden being met with beuracratic, neo-liberal policies and an utter indifference to life itself. A modern version of David vs Goliath plays out along these lines day after day and while the border may seem well-defined, the laws, regulations, and enforcement patterns surrounding it are amorphous at best and murderous at worst. De León heavily takes into account how the environment plays a key role in not only the mortality rate of migrants but also how it becomes a breeding ground of extrajudicial activity. He mentions "The isolation of the desert combined with the public perception of the border as a zone ruled by chaos allows the state to justify using extraordinary measures to control and exclude “uncivilized” noncitizens" (2). There is a concerted effort by border officials to
I was able to relate to when Jessie said that borders are symbols of the divisions we make of each other. These borders are made up by people to keep each other apart from one another. Whether it is for social, economic, or cultural reasons, the division remains. As Brooke pointed out, these borders prevent freedoms and deny opportunities.
The Latino Threat is a concept of an imposing threat of the Latino, whether they be from Mexico or any other Latin country, and how they affect the U.S. and its citizens. This concept is described heavily Leo R. Chavez’ book aptly titled The Latino Threat. In the book, he describes how the Latino threat as a concept has been used routinely to underline the aspect of United States citizenship in a tit for tat manner; that being dehumanizing the Latino to raise the standing of U.S. citizenship. The U.S. as a nation believes it should feel better about itself because it is the one that turns people away rather than being the place where people run from. Over the history of America this isolationist views on illegal immigrants has waned and contrast
The border wall debate has become one of the most significant talking points in the United States and countries around the world. Many people believe that the wall is unnecessary and many think that it is necessary. Building a border wall may cost billions of dollars, but it might be able to save the country money as well. Some positive impacts of a border wall are for example a decline in apprehension rates, creating a safer America and putting a damper on the flow of illegal drugs. As well as the positive impacts, we will look at the negative implications as well. Some of these are that the symbolism, cost, effect of diversity, environmental impact and the higher death impact.
Medina, Isabel M. “At the Border: What Tres Mujeres Tells Us About Walls and Fences.” Journal of Gender, Race and Justice 10 (2007): 245-68.
Personally I completely agree no border should make people feel like they can’t go some place to live a good life. No border should separate families and break relationships. No border should determine how hard you can work or what you are capable of. Most importantly no border should make you feel like you are less than other people. It’s true we aren’t all exactly the same and there are things that make is different, but inequality needs to come to an
As long as civilizations have been around, there has always been a group of oppressed people; today the crucial problem facing America happens to be the discrimination and oppression of Mexican immigrants. “Mexican Americans constitute the oldest Hispanic-origin population in the United States.”(57 Falcon) Today the population of Mexican’s in the United States is said to be about 10.9%, that’s about 34 million people according to the US Census Bureau in 2012. With this many people in the United States being of Mexican descent or origin, one would think that discrimination wouldn’t be a problem, however though the issue of Mexican immigrant oppression and discrimination has never been a more prevalent problem in the United States before now. As the need for resolve grows stronger with each movement and march, the examination of why these people are being discriminated against and oppressed becomes more crucial and important. Oppression and Anti-discrimination organizations such as the Freedom Socialist Organization believe that the problem of discrimination began when America conquered Mexican l...
I am a naturalized US citizen and one of many Americans who supports President Donald Trump's idea of the construction of a US/Mexico border wall. It is needed for a few reasons, I believe it will reduce unauthorized access to America, block drug smugglers, and prevent terrorists from entering through the back door. A border wall is seen as a tool that, with accompanying technology, will allow the United States Border Patrol to improve enforcement. A 2010 Rasmussen phone survey indicated that approximately 59 percent of United States citizens supported a border wall to control immigration. Studies have shown that only a small amount of voters were not in favor of the construction of the wall but after American Consulate employees were murdered
...r (Ellingwood, 2004). Even after more and more cases like this one contienued to happen the U.S. government did not to try and reduce the number of migrants dying. Instead it intensified its border security consciously knowing what the outcome could be. Mexican Senate passed a resolution zeroing in on Gatekeeper and the American government: “The anti-immigration strategy implemented by the U.S. government to seal its border becomes more aggressive every day, raising the cost in human lives of those who attempt to obtain better living conditions,” the resolution stated (Ellingwood, 2004). It noted that “migrants must make their way through heavy vegetation, deep and rocky canyons, and high mountains that make the crossing difficult, slow, and dangerous. Add to this the lack of food and water and the bad climate… and the high number of deaths that the undocumented suf
What would it be like to wake up everyday knowing you would get bullied, mistreated, and/or abused just because of where you were born? Discrimination still exists! “Discrimination remains and there is an increase in hate crimes against Hispanics, Latinos and Mexican-Americans, as one of the perceived symbols of that discrimination, the U.S.-Mexico Border Fence, nears completion. Instead of pulling together in these difficult times, we may see a greater polarization of attitudes” (Gibson). But why are hate crimes increasing towards Latin and Hispanic aliens and what types of discrimination are occurring against them? Understanding violence towards the Hispanic and Latin alien is divided into three main classes; the difference between legal and illegal aliens, the attacks and effects, and the point of view of different people towards aliens.
Is a wall necessary? Some might argue that it’s not because it won’t keep away other people, but some people think it’s necessary. A wall means more security, but what if it’s not going to keep away everything and everyone. It can destroy the wildlife growing there. ” Border infrastructure not only blocks the movement of wildlife, but... destroys the habitat fragments and the connectivity that these animals use to move from one place to another,” Sergio Avila-Villegas.
Over the years it seems as though our country has become more populated and unsafe from the illegal immigrants and smuggled goods, such as drugs and weapons, which make it into the United States. Although there are many illegal immigrants and contraband that are able to make it into the U.S undetected, there are a significant amount of people and contraband that are caught by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The CBP is a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and was formed in 2003. “It is one of the world’s largest law enforcement organizations and is charged with keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S” (CBP). One of the departments of the CBP is border security, which is a team of individuals that work together to protect our country from “illegal immigrants, narcotics smuggling, and illegal importation” (CBP). Border patrol was established in 1924 and has changed dramatically over the decades. The one aspect that has not changed is “the overall mission to detect and prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the U.S” (CBP). The border patrol is responsible for patrolling the 6,000 miles of Mexican and Canadian land borders and 2,000 miles of coastal waters. According to CBP, “In 2013 420,789 nationwide illegal aliens were apprehended and 2.9 million pounds of drugs were seized.” As one could tell, there is a significant amount of illegal immigrants and smuggled goods coming into the U.S. However, the number of illegal immigrants that have been seized is lower than it has been in the past, but I still believe that having a strong border security is necessary in continuing to keep immigrants from trying to come into the U.S illegally and transporting illegal goods. “The primary goal of bo...
The United States and Mexican border has been the focus of an abundant amount of controversy the past decade in the States. The border wall, or border fence, is one of several barriers preventing illegal Mexican and South American immigrants from entering the United States. However, as statistics prove, immigration and drug smuggling has been on the rise the past few decades and our “three prong approach” is not confronting the escalating issue at hand. America’s border security is not resilient enough to deter these illegal immigrants and drug smugglers; our border wall must be fortified immediately.
What is border security? The United States Customs and Border Protection define border security as a “top priority is to keep terrorists and their weapons from entering the U.S. while welcoming all legitimate travelers and commerce. CBP officers and agents enforce all applicable U.S. laws, including against illegal immigration, narcotics smuggling and illegal importation. Therefore, in order for the United States to be successful in securing the nation’s border, there is an essential need for border security. This has not been an easy challenge but it is something that has to be done otherwise imagine how great a disaster our nation would be. For over 86 years, the United States' approach to securing its border with Mexico has seen many changes and improvements, all of which have contributed positively to the prevention of illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and potential terrorism.