Right now I’m camping at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. It’s on the border of Arizona and Mexico. From my campsite I have an unobstructed view of Trump’s Wall as it convulses its way along a line created by the 1853 Gadsden Purchase.
This is my third consecutive winter getaway to this cactus wonderland. Being curious by nature, I always take a drive along an eleven-mile stretch of road parallel to the metal eyesore and environmental disaster. (Just ask the native wildlife (Sonoran pronghorn, mule deer, javalinas, coyotes, mountain lions, bighorn sheep and bobcats) whose range is now confined to one side or the other. No Bueno for them.
This year my investigation was different and not in a good way. First off the National Park Service didn’t recommend going. When I pressed a timid Ranger on the issue of why? His answer, “The Border Patrol are conducting Homeland Security surveillance out there,”
My answer, “The Border Patrol are always conducting surveillance out there.” In my mind either a road is open or closed. Sort of along the concept of not being a “little pregnant.”
If you’ve been following the news, there’s been a surge of asylum seekers trying to gain access to the Promised Land of America.
This human tide was so large, the US powers to be shuttered the Lukeville/Sonoyta Border crossing for about a month. The lockdown caused economic hardships on both sides of the Wall. The border towns of Ajo, Why and Lukeville lost the potential revenue from the steady stream of Gringos en route to Puerto Penasco, Mexico. (Rocky Point in Gringo-speak). Daily workers from Mexico couldn’t commute to their jobs on the US side. No Bueno II.
Still the asylum seekers came.
The immigration issue is like climate change. Everybody talks about it, but no one does anything about it.
Go back in American History to 1844 and the founding of the “Native American” political party. Better known today as the “Know Nothings” whose platform was all about immigration. They particularly had it out for Irish Catholics, many of whom were escaping the Great (Potato) Famine of 1845-1852. The Know Nothings whined and whined, yet those Guinness guzzling Irish Catholics still came. The English speaking newbies became part of the American fabric handing us Saint Paddy’s Day and two US Presidents. JFK and Joe Biden. Stretch the Irish name a bit and maybe O’bama. In the long run the Irish-Americans found a second homeland.
In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed. Like the name suggests, those Asians weren’t allowed entry to the US for the simple crime of being born in China. It wasn’t until 1943 when this racist abomination was repealed. By then, China was a WW II Allie of the US. (Probably a political “Sorry about that! was issued to the Chinese government.) Now we thank Chinese-Americans for their industrious ways and providing Jews a place to eat on Christmas Eve and Christmas.
The Immigration Act of 1924, worked on a quota system based on percentages of hyphenated Americans already here. The rules heavily favored western and northern Europeans as well as those from the British Isles. This act was far from all-inclusive. I suppose those White guys in power were concerned about the possibility of the “poisoning the blood of our country.” (No the quote wasn’t from Hitler, but from Trump in New Hampshire on December 17, 2023.)
Forty-One years later, LBJ under the shadow of the Statue of Liberty signed the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Therefore negating the quota system. ( good riddance to that.) For a Good Ol’ Boy Texan, Johnson displayed great empathy for the plight of the underdog. During his administration Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Head Start and the Voting Rights Act were passed. PLUS! The Wilderness Act of 1964.
Ahhh. The Yin/Yang of American politics. In January 2017, the Orange Disruptor in Chief enacted Executive Order 13769. It came with a catchy title. “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.” The nickname was better. “Trump’s Muslim Ban.” Essentially the ban included seven predominantly Muslim countries. Thereby stereotyping 1.8 billion adherents of Islam as international “Bad Guys.” As par with 45’s administration the order created confusion, chaos and a BIGLY amount of lawsuits. Lawyers must love Trump for all the lawsuits he generates.
Notably missing from the list was Saudi Arabia, the country of origin for fifteen of the nineteen 911 hijackers and its mastermind Osama bin Ladin. The US has business and military interests in SA which might have influenced Trump’s omission. (Just saying’)
For a great read on America’s worldly military presence, check out “How to Hide an Empire.” Who knew!
That was the Reader’s Digest version of US Immigration Policy 101.
Back to the present. So there I was driving parallel to the Wall that Mexico was supposed to pay for but that was another Trump fib. American taxpayers shelled out the multi-billions of dollars (not pesos) of dinero. (Money in Gringo-speak) Gee! What a surprise!
Yep, since the surge the borderland has changed since last year. About one mile west of Highway 85 an apparent asylum seeker processing center stood out. The half-acre parcel contained porta-potties, tents and stadium lights. That was new to me and disturbing especially since the land is within a National Monument. But most distressing of all was the debris field adjacent to the road. A vast multi-mile stretch of discarded clothes items, thousands of pitched plastic water bottles, spent juice cartons, empty soda cans and an improbable container of hair conditioner. But just like that, the trash subsided. The newly arrived litterbugs were crammed near Highway 85. They weren’t trying to evade capture. They were seeking a better life through asylum.
Sure, I found the trash to be distressing, but more than likely so was the life the migrants left behind. Anyone desperate enough to negotiate the Darien Gap, (sometimes with children) must have had a reason to risk it all.
As a first generation American, I can relate to the “Push/Pull” concept behind immigration. For Sid and Clara the push was the first fits and starts of the Holocaust. Simply put, their choice was to flee or be murdered. The pull to NYC was simple too. Get to live another day and eventually make me!
Americans have an uncanny knack in believing “tsrus” (troubles) only occur here. WRONG! Immigration (like inflation) is a Worldwide dilemma.
Worldwide inflation: Source World Bank.
Worldwide immigration: Source Springer-link
Currently, there’s 16 out of the 54 countries in Africa in the midst of a Civil War. In South America unstable governments unfortunately seem to be the rule instead of the exception.
Source: The Global Economy.com
These are some of the “pushes” on the worldwide scene. The “pulls” are any country possibly offering folks stability, safety and security. Yes. The US is one of those countries.
Readers, I won’t BS you and say I have the answers to a multi-generational international quandary.
But I do know humanity is going over the top on Genesis 1:28. That’s the “be fruitful and multiply” notion. (In my lifetime alone, Homo Sapiens expanded from 2.7 billion to over 8 billion).
Another thing I know, it’s going to take a “village” of cooperating Nations to come up with viable solutions. (Just like dealing with climate change).
Walls aren’t the answer despite what Senator Robert Rice Reynolds said on June 5th, 1941.
I’m down at the Border,
Jeff
The Detritus of Desperation
For one last look at the humanitarian side of the immigration dilemma.
Right now I’m camping at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. It’s on the border of Arizona and Mexico. From my campsite I have an unobstructed view of Trump’s Wall as it convulses its way along a line created by the 1853 Gadsden Purchase.
This is my third consecutive winter getaway to this cactus wonderland. Being curious by nature, I always take a drive along an eleven-mile stretch of road parallel to the metal eyesore and environmental disaster. (Just ask the native wildlife (Sonoran pronghorn, mule deer, javalinas, coyotes, mountain lions, bighorn sheep and bobcats) whose range is now confined to one side or the other. No Bueno for them.
This year my investigation was different and not in a good way. First off the National Park Service didn’t recommend going. When I pressed a timid Ranger on the issue of why? His answer, “The Border Patrol are conducting Homeland Security surveillance out there,”
My answer, “The Border Patrol are always conducting surveillance out there.” In my mind either a road is open or closed. Sort of along the concept of not being a “little pregnant.”
If you’ve been following the news, there’s been a surge of asylum seekers trying to gain access to the Promised Land of America.
This human tide was so large, the US powers to be shuttered the Lukeville/Sonoyta Border crossing for about a month. The lockdown caused economic hardships on both sides of the Wall. The border towns of Ajo, Why and Lukeville lost the potential revenue from the steady stream of Gringos en route to Puerto Penasco, Mexico. (Rocky Point in Gringo-speak). Daily workers from Mexico couldn’t commute to their jobs on the US side. No Bueno II.
Still the asylum seekers came.
The immigration issue is like climate change. Everybody talks about it, but no one does anything about it.
Go back in American History to 1844 and the founding of the “Native American” political party. Better known today as the “Know Nothings” whose platform was all about immigration. They particularly had it out for Irish Catholics, many of whom were escaping the Great (Potato) Famine of 1845-1852. The Know Nothings whined and whined, yet those Guinness drinking Irish Catholics still came. The English speaking newbies became part of the American fabric handing us Saint Paddy’s Day and two US Presidents. JFK and Joe Biden. Stretch the Irish name a bit and maybe O’bama. In the long run the Irish-Americans found a second homeland.
In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed. Like the name suggests, those Asians weren’t allowed entry to the US for the simple crime of being born in China. It wasn’t until 1943 when this racist abomination was repealed. By then, China was a WW II Allie of the US. (Probably a political “Sorry about that! was issued to the Chinese government.) Now we thank Chinese-Americans for their industrious ways and providing Jews a place to eat on Christmas Eve and Christmas.
The Immigration Act of 1924, worked on a quota system based on percentages of hyphenated Americans already here. The rules heavily favored western and northern Europeans as well as those from the British Isles. This act was far from all-inclusive. I suppose those White guys in power were concerned about the possibility of the “poisoning the blood of our country.” (No the quote wasn’t from Hitler, but from Trump in New Hampshire on December 17, 2023.)
Forty-One years later, LBJ under the shadow of the Statue of Liberty signed the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. Therefore negating the quota system. ( good riddance to that.) For a Good Ol’ Boy Texan, Johnson displayed great empathy for the plight of the underdog. During his administration Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Head Start and the Voting Rights Act were passed. PLUS! The Wilderness Act of 1964.
Ahhh. The Yin/Yang of American politics. In January 2017, the Orange Disruptor in Chief enacted Executive Order 13769. It came with a catchy title. “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.” The nickname was better. “Trump’s Muslim Ban.” Essentially the ban included seven predominantly Muslim countries. Thereby stereotyping 1.8 billion adherents of Islam as international “Bad Guys.” As par with 45’s administration the order created confusion, chaos and a BIGLY amount of lawsuits. Lawyers must love Trump for all the lawsuits he generates.
Notably missing from the list was Saudi Arabia, the country of origin for fifteen of the nineteen 911 hijackers and its mastermind Osama bin Ladin. The US has business and military interests in SA which might have influenced Trump’s omission. (Just saying’)
For a great read on America’s worldly military presence, check out “How to Hide an Empire.” Who knew!
That was the Reader’s Digest version of US Immigration Policy 101.
Back to the present. So there I was driving parallel to the Wall that Mexico was supposed to pay for but that was another Trump fib. American taxpayers shelled out the multi-billions of dollars of dinero. (Money in Gringo-speak) Gee! What a surprise!
Yep, since the surge the borderland has changed since last year. About one mile west of Highway 85 an apparent asylum seeker processing center stood out. The half-acre parcel contained porta-potties, tents and stadium lights. That was new to me and disturbing especially since the land is within a National Monument. But most distressing of all was the debris field adjacent to the road. A vast multi-mile stretch of discarded clothes items, thousands of pitched plastic water bottles, spent juice cartons, empty soda cans and an improbable container of hair conditioner. But just like that, the trash subsided. The newly arrived litterbugs were crammed near Highway 85. They weren’t trying to evade capture. They were seeking a better life through asylum.
Sure, I found the trash to be distressing, but more than likely so was the life the migrants left behind. Anyone desperate enough to negotiate the Darien Gap, (sometimes with children) must have had a reason to risk it all.
As a first generation American, I can relate to the “Push/Pull” concept behind immigration. For Sid and Clara the push was the first fits and starts of the Holocaust. Simply put, their choice was to flee or die. The pull to NYC was simple too. Get to live another day and eventually make me!
Americans have an uncanny knack in believing “tsrus” (troubles) only occur here. WRONG! Immigration (like inflation) is a Worldwide dilemma.
Worldwide inflation: Source World Bank.
Worldwide immigration: Source Springer-link
Currently, there’s 16 out of the 54 countries in Africa in the midst of a Civil War. In South America unstable governments unfortunately seem to be the rule instead of the exception.
Source: The Global Economy.com
These are some of the “pushes” on the worldwide scene. The “pulls” are any country possibly offering folks stability, safety and security. Yes. The US is one of those countries.
Readers, I won’t BS you and say I have the answers to a multi-generational international quandary.
But I do know humanity is going over the top on Genesis 1:28. That’s the “be fruitful and multiply” notion. (In my lifetime alone, Homo Sapiens expanded from 2.7 billion to over 8 billion).
Another thing I know, it’s going to take a “village” of cooperating Nations to come up with viable solutions. (Just like dealing with climate change).
Walls aren’t the answer despite what Senator Robert Rice Reynolds said on June 5th, 1941.
For further readings:
I’m down at the Border,
Jeff
For one last look at the humanitarian side of the immigration dilemma.
Please read this great article from the New York Times
Thanks for this post!
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