Central America citizens have recorded the highest rate of crossing an international border in history by sneaking into the United States of America in their thousands over the years. With a financial crisis and hope of recovery in most of the Central American nations such as Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico, the immigrants make the deadly decision to illegally relocate to America. The immigrants can no longer rely on their national governments for providing them with employment opportunities and security to manage their families comfortably. It is therefore, not the citizens' responsibility to improve their respective nation's economy but to provide for the families by any means necessary. As they seek to do their best for their families and siblings, the desperate people make the dreadful decision to take the dangerous train journey to America. I believe the choice to relocate to the United States of America is although, illegal, a desperate and most daring way a parent seeking the best they can achieve to provide their dream plans for their children can prove his efforts rather than resigning to fate by staying at home without employment.
Despite the United States Government’s effort to enact laws to solve the penetration of an increasing number of immigrants as well as installing high technological equipment to monitor the Mexican border, very little progress is evidenced in protecting America from immigrants desperate to cross the border. The determination and daring tactics of the Central Americans seeking income opportunities has and still is a nuisance to the American border security despite the high technology used to help secure the border.
For clarity, I do not support migracy. However, I support the efforts parents put to go out in the dangerous unknown in giving their best short and provide their families with the most they can acquire. Unlike Sonia Nazario's perspective that the family separation is unnecessary because it leads to disappointments, I believe it is a desperate choice for the parents seeking the best way to provide enough for their children. In Sonia Nazario's Enrique's Journey the disappointed boy ultimately makes the same choice by leaving his baby in the hand of his sister Belky (just like his mother left him for her relatives) and keeps saving and sending as much as he can to support the fosters.
The developing countries are congested with young jobless people, rising number of under-fed children and a dependent adult population. It is only reasonable that a parent finds means of surviving the pressure of responsibilities by working away from home.
Nazario's moving story reveals the desperation of Mexican families and the extent they are willing to go to protect their families and survive no matter the nature of the situation. In her story, Enrique and Belky grow up without their parents. Enrique, who lives a worse and poorer life than his sister, grows too desperate to live on and, after ten years of hopeless dreams rand seven attempts, beats all odds to cross the border and find his mother, Lourdes. Instead of burying his troubles, he is disappointed by his mother so much that they develop a strained relationship. According to Nazario, the ten year separation is not worth the celebration since the situation is still grave as the mother is not living a comfortable life and she strains to spare a fortune to send back home in Mexico. However, the sacrifices she makes by either doing odd jobs or overworking herself pays off by the income she makes. She is able to spare and send enough for her children's upkeep. This progress in her achievement satisfies Lourdes despite the long separation from her loved ones.
Corruption, crime and drugs
Most Central American countries are so infiltrated with corruption in their administration systems that they can no longer provide job opportunities equally and fairly among citizens. Moreover, the security forces are corrupt and rendered unable to manage and stamp out burglary and robbery. Instead, the police force is involved in concealing and protecting the criminals. In the France 24 video, the reporter reveals the media's complete inefficiency in exposing the perpetrators of criminal activities such as rape, murder and kidnapping. The authorities, she reports, cannot guarantee accurate information on the bandits benefiting from kidnapping and robbery. Moreover, the local media personalities, for fear of falling victims to the corrupt officers or criminals, cannot share their experiences and relevant information to France 24 news. In order to acquire as much information as possible, the reporters decide not to inform anyone of their presence and coverage but still fail to capture the activities of the criminals and police officers along the train tracks.
Since the citizens cannot find justice in their police forces, they opt not to look back and seek it as they are already breaking the law. They instead face the monsters waiting to rob and kidnap them hoping they would survive the ordeal and try again another time if they fail. Women in the group of hopeful immigrants face the danger of falling victims to rapists without any hope of justice.
The United States war to secure the border has over the years advanced to cub the increasingly innovative and cunning immigrants. The security forces guarding the border face a great challenge due to the rising threat in drug import into the United States. For instance, Tony Payan, in his book The three U.S. -Mexico Border Wars: Drugs, Immigration, and Homeland Security, notes that the drug traffickers beat the security officers through their creative and tricky methods of hiding drugs as they transport them. As a result, tonnes of hard drugs such as Cocaine and Marijuana make their way into the country alongside illegal immigrants. For instance, in November 2010, Highway Patrol officials impounded 610 pounds of marijuana stuffed in coffins in a truck heading for Tucson, Arizona (Payan and Tony. The Three U.s.-Mexico Border Wars: Drugs, Immigration, and Homeland Security. Westport, Conn: Praeger Security International, 2006).
Failed by their governments
In the video by France 24, it is evident that no danger can stand in the way of the determined immigrants. For instance, despite the reports of criminals working with local police to rob desperate immigrants along the the dangerous and risky train journey, they have barely shown fear or retreat. To date, more immigrants travel on foot from other countries such as Guatemala to make the train journey. The determination to risk their lives on the dangerous train journey reveals the fact that they are driven by worse conditions back home and cannot look back.
One particular instance of a pregnant woman attempting to hand on a speedy train with his band shows the level of desperation of the Mexicans to seek for employment opportunities by any means necessary.
Conclusion
As I mentioned earlier, it is neither the responsibility nor the accountability of the poor public to reform their national economy or improve their living standards in their countries. Their democratic governments bear the sole responsibility of providing security and opportunities for their population that will prevent (or reduce) the rate of migrancy and the need for it. Before they can establish a reliable system, the government should not restrain the people from making the best out of an already impossible situation. People who would rather die trying rather live poor and die hungry anyway are, according to me, very hardworking but lack the industries to work in. if their governments will provide the jobs they need, they will not need to run away to find greener pastures at such a high and costly price.
Work Cited
France 24 news.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHDsyOpuyNw
Nazario, Sonia. Enrique's Journey: The True Story of a Boy Determined to Reunite with His Mother. New York: Delacorte Press, 2013. Print.
Payan, Tony. The Three U.s.-Mexico Border Wars: Drugs, Immigration, and Homeland Security. Westport, Conn: Praeger Security International, 2006. Print.
