Local opinion: The border Issue

There is no easy answer to our complex, growing immigration problem. Human nature interferes. We are territorial. We do not want anyone coming into our property, uninvited, when we perceive the uninvited as dangerous. That includes not only our own personal boundaries, but those of our country. Fear, the most powerful motivator to control the masses, is used to keep out potential undesirables.

Some ideal behaviors for humanity are compassion, generosity, honesty, humility and love. Because of mitigating factors, those behaviors do not usually happen with immigration. A significant factor is paranoia. Many view the border situation as a hotbed of evil, of which we should live in mortal terror, sometimes resulting in vigilante action.

Some claim that we have completely open borders, allowing dangerous hordes to invade us. It is untrue. Miles of walls have been built at tremendous cost, but even if there were a continuous 30-foot wall along the border, some people would still find a way through.

Those with ill intent may cross our border. There are resulting crimes, gangs, drugs, which is reprehensible, but the percentage of the entirety is low. Illegal drugs like heroin and fentanyl may flow into our country but would not if we avoided using them. We are the demand. Regardless, drug and human smugglers must be apprehended and held accountable.

A powerful human element is survival. Many of the assembled masses along the border are seeking a better life, desperately trying to survive. A vast percentage left intolerable situations for themselves and families. Many come from areas where cartels and gangs rule. Extortion, intimidation and physical harm occur in some Central American countries. Worse situations occur for those escaping places like Venezuela and Haiti, where crime is rampant and economic opportunities are rare. Their journey to the U.S. border is harrowing. Some traverse a 60-mile jungle hell, the Darien Gap, connecting South and Central America. It has every aspect of danger-heat, snakes, rivers, and hostile gangs. After that is a journey through Central American countries and finally into Mexico. The U.S. border is another arduous 2,000 miles.

We cannot imagine the misery and dangers many have endured. If we were given a backpack, water, and set out from Tucson to Yuma in 110-degree heat, how far would we get?

The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea describes 26 immigrants led by a coyote to whom they had given thousands of dollars to cross the border. They started near Organ Pipe National Monument and walked towards Ajo, Arizona in May 2001. Fourteen of them died on the less-than-50-mile trek. Multitudes more have died in Arizona deserts.

What can be done? Neither political side wants the other to get credit for solving the issue. If a solution is truly desired, might any of the following proposals work?

Significantly increase the number of immigration judges and attorneys to handle asylum cases.

Those seeking asylum are vetted and assigned legal assistance. Citizenship is not immediate, and many asylum seekers have waited for years just for a hearing.

A fee is paid for entry. If granted permission, they are given a visa or green card allowing them to work in the U.S. If, after some time, they have been productive members of society, avoided legal issues, and paid taxes, they can apply for another work visa or citizenship. Devil’s Highway-type tragedies are reduced.

Something like the Bracero program instituted from 1942 to 1964 could be attempted. It guaranteed decent living conditions and wages for farm workers from across the border.

Instead of hiring more border agents and building more walls, we use the technology (cameras, drones, etc.) already in place.

Contact your elected officials and make your concerns and practical ideas known. Fixing the massive border problem is more important than political games being played.