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Borderlinks An
Employee at the Otis Elevator
Latinos: A Great and Long- Suffering People
The Borderlinks trip was
my first opportunity to go to Mexico. I was eager to hear what our
informants had to say about issues relating to migration and culture. I
have to admit that I did not know what to expect to see when I got to
Mexico. I wanted to see how different the outlay of the country was from
U.S. Could I tell Mexico was an impoverished nation? I really enjoyed all
the tours and talks given by the informants. Also, the Borderlinks staff
did an excellent job of making sure that we had the time to attend all of
our scheduled events. I will briefly talk about the maquiladora we
visited and talks made by Kiko Trujillo, the Borderlinks director in
Mexico, and Jennifer Allen of Border Action Network.
I was
impressed with the working conditions of the Otis Elevator a, maquiladora
in Mexico (Maquiladora is the spanish word for factory.) .The building was very clean. The condition that concerns me the most is
the amount of pay that the workers earn. The training that they go
through to remember all the necessary steps to put components together
would be strenuous; this warrants better pay. The workers who have taken
engineering classes definitely should get paid more. The way in which
Latinos’ work is not valued much is depicted in the article, “We are not
machines: Corporations that bring jobs must bring justice.” The article
reveals the fact that Latinos are used to dangerous and tedious jobs. The
statement made in the article, “I was paid $27 for a 40 hour week,”
describes what Latinos still today have to do to try to keep food on the
table for their families.
If the working conditions
were excellent in all the maquiladores in Mexico but the pay was the same
would less Latinos try to migrate to America because they would rather
stay in their homeland to be with their family and so they would not have
to adapt to American culture? Kiko Trujillo mentioned that he just could
not make it in Los Angeles. He knew that he was coming back to his country
where he would have to put up with poor economic conditions. He also knew
that his life in America would have been tougher because he would have to
get accustomed to the American way of life.
Jennifer Allen talked
about the reasons why vigilantes apprehend immigrants on the U.S- Mexico
border. I strongly believe that trying to uphold national security,
making citizen’s arrests, and protecting private property are not the jobs
of citizens. I believe that the majority of the Latinos who come or want
to come to America are not coming with the intent of being involved with
criminal activity, but migrate so they can find a job so their family will
not die of hunger. Citizens should not be able to touch another unless
the U.S. government enacts a law giving certain individuals the right to
arrest the Latino migrant if the person is trying to harm someone. If the
vigilantes really thought about what they would do if they lived in a
country where the economy was bad and their family may die of hunger, I
believe that they would also make the choice to migrate. In regards to
protecting private property, it’s the responsibility of the property owner
to inform the police if his property is being trespassed by migrants,
rather than take up the matter himself.
In the article, “Open
Season” Bob Moser gives us various accounts of crimes that take place
along the border. Vigilantes, civilians who harass and abuse the migrants
have the mentality that they have every right to stop Latinos from
crossing the border. Some civilians have formed groups asking for support
from others around the nation. Moser talks about how the majority of the
people who cross the border don’t know they have rights and if they do
know that they have rights they do not report the abuses because they will
be sent back to Mexico. Anti –immigrant groups like American Border Patrol
and Ranch Rescue should not be formed because they do not uphold human
rights.
Not only do the vigilantes
not uphold the law that humans must be treated fairly, but the acts of
U.S. Border Patrol should be condemned. Jennifer gave several incidents
where the U.S. Border Patrol officers went beyond the confines of the law.
This matter should not be addressed to the Arizona attorney general. I
think the activities of the U.S. Border Patrol should be a major concern
for the U.S government to enforce fair treatment in which officers who
endanger an immigrant or a civilian would be subjected to severe
penalties. The report Justice on the Line should be sent to the
U.S. Attorney General and if the U.S. government officials truly believed
in the “inalienable rights” for all humans then they would take immediate
action to eradicate the problems on the U.S.-Mexico border. Justice on
the Line was compiled by the Border Action Network and it outlines
the Border Patrol activities occurring in the Arizona border communities.
BAN members asked and surveyed people about the treatment they received
from Border Patrol officers. The notion of the U.S. stepping in to stop
the unjust acts along the border may not be something we can count on
unless we experience first hand what it is like to be treated unfairly in
our communities.
My assessment of the trip
was that I came away with feeling the peace expressed by those who may not
live in a land of plenty, like the United States but are able to enjoy
life. Also, I think it takes a lot of heart and courage for individuals
to go out of their way to help fight injustice. However, we are always
reminded that the law limits people to migrate easily to the place where
many Latinos see as the land of opportunity.
 Borderlinks Staff
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