One
of the biggest new stories from this summer was on the influx of more than
59,000 Central American unaccompanied crossing the U.S/Mexico border. This new
story was widely reported national news sources such as NPR, NYTimes, Time, etc.
According to the United Nations High Comission on Refugees, nearly 60% of
refugees say that they are fleeing violence in their home countries. I recently
came across a statistic from Amnesty International which states that an
estimated 60% of all Central American girls crossing the U.S/Mexico border
report having been assaulted en route. This is a staggering statistic because
not only because of the traumatic effects which being sexually assaulted wreaks
havoc on a person physically and emotionally, but because it illuminates the
urgency of the circumstance which these children are fleeing. Rape and sexual
assault are the realities which they are met, I think this is evidence that no
child would choose to deal with such
atrocities, an argument have been made by some political pundits.
It seems as if this is now a
salient topic of conversation because it can no longer be ignored. For a long
time, the U.S has had a fraught relationship with Latin American countries as
it relates to immigration rights and citizenship. As a naturalized American
citizen, the topic of immigration policy is one which is very important to me
because it’s not just policy; immigration effects the lived realities of my
aunts, cousins, and nieces and nephews.
Although Haitian immigration policy is a topic which warrants its own
analysis, I think it’s important to not look at immigration policy as being
ahistorical. Critiquing the neoliberal effects of American foreign policy,
specifically U.S intervention in Latin and Central American wars in the 20th
century is something that is not done enough outside of the world of academia.
For example, of the many op-eds and columns which I’ve read on this topic, very
view delve into this history and how it’s affected the current economic policies of these countries. It seems
backwards to aim to fix a problem of which the causes are not examined. I don’t think there is one answer to resolving
this issue but I do think whatever proposed solutions being created should be
looked at with a sober understanding of how U.S foreign policy has shaped the
lived realities of these Central American children in the 21st
century.
On a more cynical note, I can’t
help but think that the upcoming Senate elections this November and
presidential election in 2016 is coloring the ways in which politicians are
choosing to respond to this topic. The Latino voting bloc is a large and continues
to grow. According to the Pew Research poll,
where politicians choose to situate themselves
on this topic will likely have a great effect on election outcomes. I
understand that immigration and human rights abuses such as rape are not ‘sexy’
topics of conversation but nonetheless, the national conversation needs to be
expanded so that the experiences of these people can be better understood. I
think in doing so, we can have a more sympathetic and full view of the effects
of immigration on the lived experiences of people every day.
Sources:
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