Immigration has been the bane if this country since its founding. The faces of the immigrants has changed over time but the issue remains the same. What do we do with these immigrants seeking a better life? How do we protect the citizens of this country and most importantly their jobs? How many immigrants do we let in before we say that is enough? What impact do the immigrants have on this country and is it negative or positive? These questions have been tossed back and forth by the public and the government since the establishment of this country. Some feel there is enough for everyone and some jealously guard what assets America has to offer. The immigration issue is not going away and as such needs to be dealt with in a manner that protects
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There are no passenger trains so the immigrants are forced to ride on cargo trains. The immigrants ride on top of the train and must always be vigilant. As stated by Villegas in his article Central American Migrants and “La Bestia”: The Route, Dangers, and La Bestia “As many as half a million Central American immigrants annually hop aboard freight trains colloquially known as “La Bestia,” or the beast, on their journey to the United States”. There are many dangers faced by the immigrants when riding La Bestia. Danger within and danger without, the passenger might fall asleep or be pushed and fall off the train which can result in death or loss of limb, they also violence from the organized gangs that ply the migration route. At times the train conductors themselves are involved. If this is not enough sexual assault and kidnappings are a constant threat. Why not hire a smuggler? The immigrants riding these trains are some of the poorest and simply cannot afford the fee which can go as high as 10,000 dollars a person to be smuggled into Mexico so they choose La Bestia. Reyes states in his article Only the Pilgrim knows …show more content…
Public policy must change. The shelters are not aqueduct they are not a panacea. The very criminals that once threatened the priest who run these shelters now realize they are a boon to their business. The criminals now look to these shelters for their next victims. It would seem there is no place that the immigrant is safe. There are 10 million illegal immigrants in the United States and sixty two percent of those are from Mexico. Many of these migrants are agriculturally culture related and in the off season return to Mexico however coyotes fees have recently made it cost prohibitive to return and many elect to stay in the United States. Increased border security has resulted in more immigrants to hire coyotes to cross and as discussed earlier the cost is a factor in the immigrant’s decision to return or stay. United States immigration policies are at the present ineffective and in fact or leading to longer stays in the United States. Public Policy on immigration must change. Something akin to the Bracero program should be enacted again. Not the exact program because under the Bracero immigrants were little more than slaves living in deplorable conditions. But a program where immigrants can come seeking seasonal work and when that work is done return to their villages thus boasting the economy in Mexico also. A voluntary return program would also take away some of the work for the coyotes and in
There are no passenger trains so the immigrants are forced to ride on cargo trains. The immigrants ride on top of the train and must always be vigilant. As stated by Villegas in his article Central American Migrants and “La Bestia”: The Route, Dangers, and La Bestia “As many as half a million Central American immigrants annually hop aboard freight trains colloquially known as “La Bestia,” or the beast, on their journey to the United States”. There are many dangers faced by the immigrants when riding La Bestia. Danger within and danger without, the passenger might fall asleep or be pushed and fall off the train which can result in death or loss of limb, they also violence from the organized gangs that ply the migration route. At times the train conductors themselves are involved. If this is not enough sexual assault and kidnappings are a constant threat. Why not hire a smuggler? The immigrants riding these trains are some of the poorest and simply cannot afford the fee which can go as high as 10,000 dollars a person to be smuggled into Mexico so they choose La Bestia. Reyes states in his article Only the Pilgrim knows …show more content…
Public policy must change. The shelters are not aqueduct they are not a panacea. The very criminals that once threatened the priest who run these shelters now realize they are a boon to their business. The criminals now look to these shelters for their next victims. It would seem there is no place that the immigrant is safe. There are 10 million illegal immigrants in the United States and sixty two percent of those are from Mexico. Many of these migrants are agriculturally culture related and in the off season return to Mexico however coyotes fees have recently made it cost prohibitive to return and many elect to stay in the United States. Increased border security has resulted in more immigrants to hire coyotes to cross and as discussed earlier the cost is a factor in the immigrant’s decision to return or stay. United States immigration policies are at the present ineffective and in fact or leading to longer stays in the United States. Public Policy on immigration must change. Something akin to the Bracero program should be enacted again. Not the exact program because under the Bracero immigrants were little more than slaves living in deplorable conditions. But a program where immigrants can come seeking seasonal work and when that work is done return to their villages thus boasting the economy in Mexico also. A voluntary return program would also take away some of the work for the coyotes and in