Introduction
The drift of Mexicans or Latinos into the US is begging for increased concerns recently, especially among Republicans and the concern around decision tables is to itemize and resolve causes and effects that are directly or indirectly linked with issues of immigrants in the US. Fortunately, Luis Urrea lucidly presents a likely-the-most-interesting-point-of-view on the subject matter in The Devil’s Highway. It is the expectation of this paper to objectively deliberate on these causes and effects of illegal immigration into LA / the US in line with Urrea’s conviction. The need for thorough knowledge of what truly drives people out of their countries through devil’s highway deserts to other countries and the consequences of such engagements on individuals and governments has indeed become very imperative in non-bias international resolutions, if society must be a home for all.
Urrea’s Point-of-View
Urrea presents a cross-the-border story of 26 Mexicans limping through shadeless and fiery Sonoran during when 14 helpless among those immigrants dizzied to fatal, painful, yet preventable deaths. Such an explosive narrative readily brings the question to mind why people do dare such adventures.
Causes of Mexican-US immigration
Urrea identifies poverty and poor economic situations in Mexico as being the chief contributors to a sea of individuals risking trekking through the devil’s desert. These individuals, back in Mexico, barely lived without hope for the next day’s food. There is the issue of increased burden on breadwinners due to little or no birth control. Yet, only ten years earlier, Urrea (43) says things were rosy; and then, suddenly prices of coffee collapsed. A lot of ills then set in. He says:
“Prices kept rising, and all families, mestizos and Indian, Mexican and illegal, Protestant, Catholic, or heather, were able to afford less and less” (Urrea 44).
This point raised by Urrea is significant and acceptable because the US is desired worldwide for a destination of choice. People elsewhere outside the US see the country as a haven. And when in distress, by chance, they would drift to the country for better breads and greener pastures. Also paramount to cause unauthorized Mexican migrations to the US is economic incentive. Fox Vicente, Mexican president in 2003 itemed the benefit of remittance to his countries when he said remittances:
“…are our biggest source of foreign income, bigger than oil, tourism or foreign investment” (Warren 45).
Money derived through remittance by Mexico through their illegal servants in the US was $12 billion in 2003. The World Bank says it reached $18.1 billions only two year later. Thus, wicked policies keep emerging from such governments to drive those people across devil’s highways. Government failures, trade agreements, inefficiencies of US administration, and chain immigration actively support illegal drifts of Mexicans into the US. To promote better international traffic and transactions, political policies beg for reforms.
Mexican governments have placed economic gains above the citizenry. For a decade now, nearly a thousand youthful women have been mutilated and murdered within the Juarez Mexican border. Little or no administrative solutions have emerged to address the crimes. This spells out lucidly the disregard the government of Mexico has on human life, and why the citizenry will always seek to address their plight through devil’s highways. Meanwhile, the inefficiency of policies to support agricultural operations in Mexico is also contributing toward Mexican-US unauthorized immigration. There is a pressing need for the Mexican government to revitalize the confidence of the citizenry to hurt unauthorized drift to the U.S. fertile terrains.
Effects of Mexican-US immigration
Illegal immigration is two-faced; non citizens can enter a country without inspection or authorization, or they could stay beyond their authorized period. For the earlier, Urrea (199) identifies death, waste of human resources, as a major effect to illegal immigration. Also, huge sums of dollars are needed to heaven those dead bodies in the desert home. Yet the villagers back home get more impoverished for lack. Urrea is particularly concerned about this as he emphasizes:
“And even if you don’t care about the lives, that is a huge cost saving. Shipping a living person…home, is a lot cheaper than trying to identify remains, embalm them, put them in a casket, and fly the remains back” (Urrea 214).
When parents overstay their legal permit in the US and give births to birthright citizens, the issue of deportation becomes complicated. Appellate courts in the US have upheld illegal immigrant’s refusal to deportation on this ground consequently reducing the status of the economy of poor U.S. citizens whereas the wealthier and middle classes benefit.
Illegal immigrants’ presence in the US has the inert to a continually widened the gulf in the socioeconomic placing between poor and rich legal Americans. There are issues of illegal immigration and the twine with violent crimes, drug trafficking, as well slavery. These may be linked with wide-ranging activities of border smuggling.
But then, does the US enjoy any reimbursements from unauthorized stays of Mexicans in the country? Oh YES! Unauthorized immigrants pay an estimated $7 billion yearly to the government for Social Security! But Republicans are not comfortable with these benefits. The position of Republicans on the subject matter is uncompromising. Votes of Republicans favor combining proposals to increase the security across the US borders. It stipulates stiffer and tougher penalties for persons who could desire services of illegal workers and who may allow those ‘aliens’ too temporarily register for worker programs that could metamorphose them to citizenship. The entire idea expressed by Urrea calls for a rethink on this attitude and perception as there may be more democratically accepted approaches in dealing with the issue.
For Mexico, the effects are enormous and disturbing. The continual drifting of the population has continued to shred the human-power and workforce of the country. Consequently, there is increased communal poverty.
The situation is also fast discouraging in-country-professionalism. This is bad for Mexico’s future.
Conclusion
This paper is of the opinion that oftentimes, social and political policies have failed to treat humans as social beings with domestic challenges that most times propel them against laws. It supports the viewpoint presented in The Devil’s Highway that one of humanity’s recent challenges is the struggle for a better living. The Spanish smattering throughout the book gives it an authentic reader feel. It is, thus, recommended for better political reform on illegal immigration into the US. Indeed, the need for thorough knowledge of what truly drives people out of their countries through devil’s highway deserts to other countries and the consequences of such engagements on individuals and governments has become very imperative in non-bias international resolutions, if society must be a home for all.
Works Cited
Urrea, Luis. The Devil’s Highway. New York: Back Bay, 2004. Print.
Warren, Bans. The Effects of Immigration on the United State. California: Dav, 2008. Print.