A Hot Steaming Cup...

Of so what?

Source: Immigration Orange

I have been very disturbed by what I have come back to in Guatemala, because it seems to have occured under the radar of almost everyone discussing this issue in the United States. I myself would have been totally oblivious if I hadn't come back to Guatemala, which just goes to show how little we know about the underprivileged in this world. I have come back to a great deal of fear in the migrant community.

It's strange how many people know about my trip and what I did. Even Don Ruben on the farm that I hope to develop asked me about it. It's led a lot of people to come up to me and ask me whether or not their going to pass a law that would throw people out. What's worse is that migrants in the U.S. reporting back home to here are afraid to go out of their houses, and no one in Guatemala wants to leave right now as things have heated up. There's this feeling that more people are getting sent back, even though it is unfounded as far as I can tell except for a huge roundup that I wrote about here...

The New York Times just put out an article that denotes only ambiguity about claims that more people are coming in, or that more people are getting sent back. It's unclear whether the rise in arrests is due to more security a statistical bump, but throughout the article it is made clear that not many people leave according to the political climate of the United States. The sense that people have in Guatemala, though, is fear.

It's made me realize a lot of things about the movement in the United States. You'll find that most immigrants that are walking out and speaking up have been in the U.S. for a long time, and I'll bet you anything that the majority of the people that are staying home, are new immigrants. This results in a lot of misperceptions and mischaracterizations by both the leaders of the pro-immigrant movement, and the media that covers them. That is why, in my opinion, the home countries of these immigrants have not been a big part of the debate, even though it is a big part of their hearts.

The most frightening thing though, is that these protests are causing a great deal of fear for a lot of migrants. I'm not in any way opposing them, I just think it's appalling that this hasn't been recognized and publicized. People don't believe me when I say that there is no danger that the criminalization bill will pass in Congress. They ask me: then why are 2 million people protesting? That's a good question that I have yet to hear an all encompassing answer for.

Um, shouldn't this be a desirable outcome? I mean, is it just me or is it some sort of madness that demands we not inconvenience, nay, must make comfortable those who come here illegally?

A comment found at this blog I find myself nodding my head with...

Re: Migrant Fear
This article warms my heart! It proves my contention that illegal immigration can be stopped in America if only we will consistently enforce our laws. The level lof enforcement has been minimal. There was essentially one day of raids and about 1200 people arrested and the majority of those have benefitted from catch and release. If just this one single paltry effort can strike fear through the lawbreakers hearts and word of it can make its way all the way to Guatemala and probably discourage thousands from makiing the trip, just imagine how effective a year worht of consistent law enofrcement would be. America might start to resemble America again instead of a third world country that has laws that don't mean squat.

H/T Beyond Borders Blog

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