Friday, April 25, 2008



From a patio on the edge of the U.S./Mexico border I can look across the river and see Mexico on the other side. It is obvious here how arbitrary a border can actually be. The landscape stretches the same on both sides, indifferent to nationality. Before the U.S. government spends money to isolate us from our neighbors by building "virtual fences," walls and "no man zones" patrolled by guards, why not consider first why large numbers of people are forced to take such risks to enter this country in the first place. Don't just look at how they are getting here- migration as we know is a natural feature of human evolution and is common throughout history- instead, ask why they are coming here. The immigrants coming to the States from Mexico and Central America are Economic Refugees. (And don't be afraid to ask the U.S. Government how they were able to make that possible.) Because, after all, in what free country are people illegal.







(Photo Caption: A craftsman in Boquillas, Mexico tries to earn a living selling walking sticks in a town devastated by the border crackdown. Boquillas Canyon, Big Bend 3/08)

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