Immigration Reform Tackled by Time Magazine

Recently Time ran a magazine article titled, "The Battle for Arizona: Will a Border Crackdown Work?" which attempted to explain the border issues in Arizona. The article began with a short introduction concerning the murder of a rancher who had property near the border, Rob Krentz. While this murder was tragic, the article didn't discuss the hundreds of would-be undocumented immigrants from Mexico who attempt to cross the border each year but die trying in the desert. While hundreds of bodies are found each year, there surely must be hundreds more as the desert areas in southern Arizona are vast and unforgiving.

The sad fact is that despite of this tragedy, Arizonans have pretty much turned a blind eye to the problems associated with illegal immigration which harm both undocumented immigrants who cross over in Arizona, as well as border ranchers. As the border near San Diego was further fortified, the movement of drugs and people has shifted in some cases to rougher terrain. Meaning that immigrants try to survive a difficult walk for a start in a new country. While Arizona is now on the center stage for immigration reform, or enforcement, depending which side you are on, many in Arizona don't understand the national media the state has received due to the controversy.

Despite being a friendly state in many ways, there is a tendency for people to mind each other's business. The Time magazine article noted that Latinos in Arizona are much less politically organized than Latinos in other states. In addition, people in Arizona simply don't talk about border issues very much in public as for decades immigrants, both legal and illegal, have made Arizona their home. News stories on the number of undocumented immigrants who die in the desert have been appearing locally for decades. This should be a disgrace that an industrialized country has allowed this to happen. Some citizens in Tucson have decided to place water barrels in the desert for the immigrants, while ranchers and landowners often shoot the barrels until they are full of bullet holes, meaning that those following a map through the desert which shows where water is may find empty barrels. The debate over the water barrels has been going on for years and is unlikely to change anytime soon.

And the drug trade will be difficult, if not completely impossible to stop, in southern Arizona, the flow of undocumented immigrants is likely to be something that won't change in the short term as well. While it might be unfair to say that Arizonans have "given up", this is somewhat accurate as far as illegal crossings and the drug trade are concerned. It is not that the issues aren't important, or that undocumented immigration isn't technically illegal, it is that the numbers of people involved are so vast that it is hard seeing how the situation could change. John McCain, a long time Arizona resident was in favor of some form of amnesty, which would allow otherwise law abiding illegal immigrants to achieve citizenship, and a much needed sense of belonging as well. Many Arizonans probably favor some form of amnesty. A church near my house for decades had a sign posted which read "Jesus was a refugee too." Everybody knew that the refugee statement was in reference to immigrants from Mexico, whom the vast majority are trying to escape poor economic conditions at home. It is sad that they would face increased scrutiny and potentially harassment from police in Arizona after having escaped poor conditions back home.

A humane solution to this issue would involve addressing key components for the greater good of both undocumented immigrants, citizens, and ranchers. The border should be heavily fortified and monitored during the hottest months of summer and spring when temperatures can reach 100 degrees plus. This would force undocumented immigrants who simply can not be dissuaded from immigrating illegally to do it in the winter. As far as the stopping the drug trade, this is probably all but impossible to do, and drug producers from Mexico will likely find another way to get drugs into the United States. Perhaps money would be better spent on public health prevention efforts and drug treatment programs. In addition, while the flow of drugs could be disrupted, this would in theory make the drug trade more profitable since the street price for many drugs would rise. Al Capone made a fortune supplying Chicago with liquor during prohibition, without prohibition he wouldn't have been as successful. Police shouldn't have the power of immigration officials as their job is to police and build trust and confidence with citizens and undocumented immigrants. If not enough Mexicans can immigrate to the United States legally, then a special relationship should be worked out with Mexico which allows for a sort of trial citizenship or amnesty. Other countries around the world may find this very unfair, but many undocumented immigrants in Arizona have family in Mexico and have been working in the United States for years. While the SB 1070 bill was misguided, and probably will be declared unconstitutional, something should be done to prevent hundreds of needless deaths which occur each summer in the scorching deserts.

Sources:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1993872,00.html

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-08-19-border-deaths_x.htm