The Devil's Highway By Luis Alberto Urrea

Improved Essays
“The Devil’s Highway” by Luis Alberto Urrea reveals a horrific true story of twenty-six immigrants crossing the Mexican border trying to find hope in the world. The Devil’s Highway is 193.9 miles of dry Arizona dessert eating lives of innocents. Luis Urrea describes in depth the voyage of twenty-six Mexicans with the death of fourteen immigrants who devastatingly failed to reach the United States for a better life. The government policies of United States and Mexico has contributed in the loss of governmental money and lives of innocent immigrants by their strict policies. Social Justice if used would diminish the wrongs happening by creating equal opportunity to those that are not born with it. Immigrants portray the United Stated as a …show more content…
These factors are the reason many immigrants do not survive the trip. Mexicans have created a business from these crossings. Gang members known as “coyotes” are guide members in charge of the crossing. “Pollos” are the what they refer as passengers. In “ The Devil’s Highway” Luis Urea explains this business. The tragedy is called “Yuma 14” or “Welton 26” and, a serves as a lesson and reminder of the troubles people have to pass. Immigrants passing the Arizona dessert are given the name and number depending on the sector they were found and number of people. Twenty-six Mexicans tried to pass the dessert named after the worst thing imaginable––the devil. After the book “The Devil’s Highway“ was published 70% of the migration decreased. The top man in charge of all the crossings is named Don Moi. He is in charge of having the transportation and staying at motels before the walk starts at Sonoita, Mexico. The passengers are charged for their services “If one doesn’t use the services of a coyote now, one can be killed. For walking. Though one can pay fees to attempt the walk alone. They might allow you to live.” The dessert, the coyotes, the mexican government, are all a danger to the …show more content…
He left the group after taking their money to find transportation and water and never came back. Since 2001 he is serving a 16 year sentence for manslautter of 14 deaths. “Mendez” was first an innocent man trying to find good money and as many people in Mexico smuggling or drug dealer is their only option to make a good amount of money. The United Sates and Mexican border policies are to blame for the deaths of many innocents not the dessert. Yes, the dessert is the ultimate cause of their deaths, but there would not have to be crossing the dessert if it was not for Mexican government. The United States in historical times were “immigrants” that dominated the land and oppressed civilians. The British then, and immigrants now all were looking for the same thing––freedom. The way United States handles immigrants are the cause Mexicans have to travel through a dessert for two days and find a

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