THE GREAT WALL OF AMERICA BETWEEN MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES
The great wall of America also referred to as border fence/rotted fence separates Mexico and the United States to prevent illegal immigration of people across Mexico to United States. The wall was built in line with three legal operations in United States including: reducing transportation of illegal drugs in United States and prevention of illegal immigrants into United States. In the world, there are only a few regions where tensions as a result of mass migration of people are as outrageous as in United States (FIDH 7). This paper, therefore, discusses the impacts owing to the construction of the Mexico-United States border.
In this border, it has remained a customary route followed by immigrants (poor people) in search of labor market in the United States. It is in the same border intended to establish the limits of national sovereignty where injustices do happen, therefore, violating human rights. The immigrants caught crossing the border become victims of contradictions, injustices and inconsistencies. They have to pay a huge price in economic terms and undergo severe suffering, violation of their human rights and humiliation. For instance, research shows that there are many undocumented migrants who die crossing from Mexican southern border towards the northern border. Research shows that most of the people die after falling off the wall or thrown out of trains towards the north and killed by criminals and smugglers. Nobody has ever talked about these deaths and the dead are buried in plastic bags or left on the ground to be eaten by wild animals (FIDH 10).
The following data, therefore, shows how severe and seriousness the phenomenon has been over the years. In 2006 for instance, research shows that 176,000 immigrants were deported in transits. In the same year, research shows that 858,000 immigrants were deported by border patrols of the United States. Over the last five years, research also shows that over 5000 migrants died crossing the great wall. The number has been increasing, therefore, leading to questions on the impacts of the great wall to immigrants entering United States. The term commonly used to the people caught crossing the border is illegal immigrants and this violates human rights as it criminalizes people (FIDH 14).
It can be explained that people move to other regions as a result of push and pull factors. These factors have caused migrants from the Central America to migrate to United States in search for labor market, escape poverty and social violence in home countries. Over the years, poverty has been a concern in most of the developing economies leading to mass movements of people to United States through the Mexico- United States border.
The weakening of globalization has resulted to most of the economies lagging behind in terms of development as evident in Mexico. It has resulted to inequalities between economies for instance, in Mexico. Research shows that 1.3 million Mexicans’ moved to United States and abandoned their agricultural lands to work at the massive importation farms of wheat and corn in the United States at subsidized prices. So, most of the Mexicans have depended on money send by the migrants working in United States farms, therefore, reducing poverty in this region. Therefore, the economic differences in nations owing to globalization have created stronger migratory pressures. Therefore, the great wall has created a barrier to this income source, therefore, becoming a catastrophic on the immigrants. Research done in Mexico for instance, shows that one in every ten families depend on money sent by an immigrant in United States (FIDH 17).
In El Salvador for instance, research shows that money sent by migrants in United States has contributed towards economic growth in the region. The money sent by these immigrants represents fifteen percent of El Salvador GDP.
There has been an increasing militarization in the border because of September 11, 2001 to increase control of illegal immigrants to United States. The creation of the border, therefore, criminalizes migrants without any legal status and stigmatizing immigrants entering United States through the border. This, therefore, has resulted to an insult of national dignity and a symbolic manifestation to segregate Mexico from United States through the great wall. Mexican labor in United States has been significant as it has resulted to the growth of the economy and it should be taken as one of the main economic indicators in the region. Therefore, stopping Mexican migrants entering United States through the border and security based laws leads to more violations of human rights, therefore, need for reform of the United States immigration law so that they can move freely to access the growing labor market in the United States (FIDH 21).
The creation of the great wall has also had environmental impacts as it is proposed that the border has degraded over 500 acres of land serving as wildlife habitat. This has, therefore, destructed wildlife in the region as 95 percent of its native vegetation has been cleared off. Research also shows that there has been increasing road mortality along patrol roads, loss of habitat cover, as well as connectivity, and altering wildlife behavior because of intense lightning, noise and construction (FIDH 24).
To conclude, the construction of Mexico- United States border has had great negative impacts on humans, the Mexican economy, wildlife and the environment. Therefore, the price paid for a drug free America is too high to pay by most of the Mexicans crossing the border in search for labor markets in United States.
Works Cited
FIDH. United States – Mexico Walls, Abuses, and Deaths at the Borders. 2008. Available at http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/USAMexiquemigran488ang.pdf [accessed 12 May 2013].
