With the rising hype on the situation of the Mexican border, it is without a doubt that some of the news has alarmed many of the American citizens today. We read of the rising body count of illegal immigrants in their desperate attempts to cross the border, drug smugglers who die in a bloody shootout, and the Border Patrol agents who gave their lives defending our nation’s doorstep. And yet, our agents, both American citizens and honorary enforcers of the law, are not only burdened with avoidable circumstances and inadequate support from the lack of proper government plans and direction, but also scorn and criticism from the public.
The Border Patrol face many difficulties in their line of work; difficulties that hinder their efforts to save lives and enforce the security of Americans. In support, the book, The Devil’s Highway, the author Luis Alberto Urrea gives us the credible and factual insight into the lives of the “men in green”, using records and interviews from the Border Patrol themselves. These difficulties range from psychological burdens to mortal dangers, all of these a part of the everyday routine of a typical Border Patrol agent. The book itself tells its readers of the tragedy of the Wellton 26 (or as it is better known, the Yuma 14): the ordeal of twenty-six immigrants from Mexico who attempted to illegally cross the U.S. border through the vast dessert, otherwise known as the Devil’s Highway. It is reasonable to say that in the light of their circumstance, there is no alternative but to be as uncompromising as our nation’s leaders say we must be when it comes to our security; additional man power, funding and support for the Border Patrol must be made available for the demanding and virtuous task. Some may disagree; our nation’s focus should be on the war in Iraq instead as considerably more lives are lost in the war effort. Yes, that is indeed true, but we cannot disregard the current threats that our Border Patrol men face everyday at the border of our own country. Coyote smuggling syndicates and drug cartels are growing more and more powerful each day while our security forces are dwindling. Agents, criminals and immigrants die at our very door. Shall we remain apathetic and insist on the war effort in Iraq while our own country is at risk? Consider with me then the current problems of our “men in green”. Suffice to say, we have fewer and fewer “men in green” today than we had prior to 9/11. At our border, “new waves [of immigrants] surged, the Coyote operations expanded”, and “as the onslaught swelled, the Border Patrol thinned” (205). The lack of man power allocated to the Border Patrol only fuels the crisis of the increased drug smuggling and illegal immigration operations and evidently had significant repercussions on the citizens of our country, who by the failure of the Bush Administration to address the reported needs of the people, spurred citizens to protest against the Administration and unofficially support the Border Patrol in 2005 (“Protest targets border staffing”). But that is, unfortunately, one of the few supports the Border Patrol receive, despite their labor. Public criticism and misconceptions plague the Border Patrol everyday as “stories burn all along the borderlands of Border Patrol men taking their prisoners out into the wasteland and having their way with them”, “the dark image of the evil Border Patrol agent dogs every [agent] who goes into the desert in his truck”(17). Agents are advised not to even wear their uniforms into public places for fear of the public violent repercussions.
Criticism goes even further as hate crimes are committed; the Border Patrol face many instances of vandalism of equipment and extreme exercises of protest by radical Mexicans, their “water stations vandalized…broken open so they run dry”, and “[s]mall groups of Mexicans are found tied and shot in the head” (214). It goes without saying that those water stations are used to rescue dying and
Camalae Thomas Deviance and Social Control 5 April 2011 The Three Perspectives Every interaction that occurs is a product of societal teachings of what is considered deviant. It has a hand in every aspect of a person’s actions and emotions. The teaching of society dictates when it is appropriate to initiate the use of a certain action and express a particular emotion so that no act of deviance occurs. These teachings of deviance are made under this notion to understand people who act different…
Anthony Altomare Professor Scardelli English 1202 18 September 2014 The Essence of Evil In 2005, 2008, and 2012 director Christopher Nolan introduced the Batman trilogy that shook the film industry. All three movies introduced new villains that Batman had to defeat. Nolan took each villain and turned them into what was almost an evil deity. A tactic like this was merely adopted by Nolan though. Forces of evil can be seen everywhere, however it appears in fiction the most. Evil will be found regardless…
trying to get my brain back from the dream and feeling as if I forgot where I was I started at my mom wanting to know what had happened but I was also kind of scared to find out as well because of the expression she had on her face as if she just had seen the devil ! She told me that my dad had called at five in the morning and had left two voicemails. As I clicked hear voice mail on the phone and started hearing the first voicemail a cold chill ran through my back. It felt as if my sunny morning had just…
In March 1918, with nearly 50 additional divisions freed by the Russian surrender on the Eastern Front, the German Army launched a series of attacks on the Western Front, hoping to defeat the Allies before U.S. forces could be fully deployed. In the north, the British 5th Army was virtually destroyed by two major offensive operations, Michael and Georgette around the Somme. A third offensive launched in May against the French between Soissons and Reims, known as the Third Battle of the Aisne, saw…
summary What would have happened had Shakespeare had a wonderfully gifted sister, called Judith, let us say. Shakespeare himself went, very probably - his mother was an heiress - to the grammar school, where he may have learnt Latin - Ovid, Virgin and Horace - and the elements of grammar and logic. He was, it is well known, a wild boy who poached rabbits, perhaps shot a deer, and had, rather sooner than he should have done, to marry a woman in the neighborhood, who bore him a child rather quicker…
walking for days a group of 21 men ended being stranded in a desert with no return. These men left families behind in search for a better future, but after walking for many days they began to blame everyone for making the decision to cross the Devil’s Highway (Urea). Hispanics make up about half of the United States population. People from Latin America make a decision to migrate to the United States because they want to search for better employment and in general, for a better way of living than of the…
quite interesting. Overall this was an eye opener for me and was one of my first encounters with the United States and Mexican culture fusion. This is a first-hand source showing the fusion between Mexico and the US through cuisine. In “The Devils Highway,” Urrea talks about how important food and water is when crossing the border. When first assigned this topic, I knew right away this could be something I used because of the importance of food while crossing from one country to another. When dehydrated…
Kyree Pops Audrey Carroll COMP 1310 March 13, 2015 Mama Said, “Advertising is the Devil.” If you can, try to think back to the earliest you can remember ever watching TV. Now, make an estimate on the overall hourly amount of television you have watched since then. It’s a lot, right? You’ve probably spent so much time in front of a television that “a lot” is all you can possibly sum it up to. Things like television, magazines, books, even music play a big part in our lives. And as we’ve learned,…
air flow over them not through them and with very little resistance. So us having the windows down caused the exact opposite, which was making the road trip even longer. We quickly rolled the windows up and blasted the music as we cruised down the highway. Well we were almost at the destination when we realized Cece had a heavy foot because next thing we knew the police was behind us. The sheriff came to the car and was trying to be all friendly as usual but still walked back to his car to write a…