What would you do if you were a young teenager within a poor country. In your neighborhood, profanities of gangs, sexual murder, and mass assassinations plague those around you. When will you come next?
One day, you are working at the corner convenience store, and a man with a black mask comes running in, targeting you at the cash register. He holds a gun to your head, threatening to take you life if you do not give him the money within the register. So, of course, you give him the money, yet as he runs out, he shoots a customer within the store. You are left alone, watching the blood seep from the man lying on the dirty ground. You then call the police, with whom you converse about the horrors of the scene you just witnessed. The police do nothing about it, but they do tell the robber (who has connections with those in security), who then goes back to the store, only to tell you that if you go to the cops again, he will kill your family in front of your eyes. This is Mexico.
This story can be related to many undocumented immigrants within the United States. Just recently, I have watched the docuseries called Living Undocumented on Netflix. The plot follows the struggles of eight undocumented families and what they have endured while navigating their immigration status under the Trump administration. The story that I have described above is the actual life of Alejandra Juarez, who spent the last 20 years in Florida with her husband, an ex-marine and Trump voter. She faced deportation to Mexico, splitting her family in half, taking her youngest daughter with her as her husband and the eldest daughter stayed in Florida.
Sending immigrants back to their home countries without providing the opportunity of citizenship is not a political topic. In my opinion, it is personal. Trump is against Mexicans and the culture they bring with them to America. But, by sending these people back to horrible lifestyles, tearing families apart, I believe it is cruel. I think there are better ways of handling this crisis of mass immigration, as it strongly affects the lives in which are targeted by Trump.
This is a very sensitive topic. Along with Mexico, many individuals around the globe suffer daily. There are Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian, Sub-Saharan African, South and Central American, and even European countries who all face their versions of adversity and challenges. The idea of tearing families apart is heart-breaking. Aside from deportation of settled families (which every sensible person would be upset about), how do you propose we handle the current illegal immigration situation?
This is a huge issue in America right now and globally. Tearing apart families and forced deportation along with the immigrant camps are all abominations in their existence. I think it is definitely something that NEEDS to be talked about but sadly is not getting as much media attention as we should. I hope this topic gains some discussion soon, for humanity’s sake.
You do an excellent job of placing an image in the mind of the reader. Obviously, you’re opinionated on this topic, but what other ways do you think this could be handled? I’d like to see your ideas on the topic.