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The Illegal Immigration in the US-Mexico Border

Decorated as one of the founding fathers of America, and the first president of the United

States, George Washington once said that he "had always hoped that this land might become a

safe and agreeable Asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation

they might belong" about immigration. The premise of immigration is a critical issue that does

not receive the attention it deserves in many countries in the world. The lack of sympathy and

understanding for immigrants is conspicuous in the United States primarily regarding the illegal

movement of Mexicans in the country. Illegal immigrant numbers from Mexico have been on the

rise despite the increased stringent action by the United States (US) government to seal off the

borders into America (Massey and Riosmena 296). Immigrants from Mexico come to America to

look for better opportunities to improve their lives despite the meager pay jobs they have to

perform. Illegal immigration taking place in the US-Mexico border is influenced by the need for

opportunities to better the lives immigrants and they face harsh conditions to get into America,

met with severe working conditions, and given substandard opportunities.

Reading the book, The Devil’s Highway, I notice that the issue of immigration resonates

in the book as the author details the accounts of immigrants who journeyed from Mexico to

America in search of a better life. The author highlights some of the sufferings and challenges
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that the Mexican immigrants have to undergo just to reach America, and while some perish,

those that make it are met with harsh realities where their struggle is continued. Chavez notes

that the rise of illegal immigration into the US from Mexico is common due to immigrants

looking for ways to earn a living and improve their economic conditions (47). However, the

reality that faces the immigrants is the lack of decent opportunities to improve their lives and the

risk of deportation that is ever looming. Having also read the thematic framework on ‘The

Working World- Sweating Under a New Sun’ and ‘The Fringe World- Outside Looking in, and

Inside Looking Out’ I am provoked to investigate the issue of immigration with the context of

their experiences and look deeper into the harsh working conditions they face.

The main reason for immigration that I found is that most immigrants leave their

countries of origin due to dismal conditions of living and lack of opportunities to earn a living to

support their families and loved ones. For the case of Mexicans moving into the US, there is the

belief that in America, finding a job is much easier, and that numerous opportunities are present

in the US compared to Mexico. There is a high rate of unemployment in Mexico due to a large

population and limited opportunities and resources in the country (Diaz, Saenz, and Kwan 306).

The need to provide for the family and improve one's life drives the immigrants from Mexico to

pursue the American dream, believed to present better opportunities and improved living

conditions. However, immigrants are often exploited and receive dead-end jobs since they have

limited options to choose from and the unrelenting demand to settle and meet their daily needs.

The Devil's Highway shows how the immigrants are exposed to harsh living conditions,

minimum wages, and discrimination, with long hours of work and nothing to show for their

efforts. Even at Vera Cruz, there are no jobs as the immigrants thought (Urrea 15).
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The need for cheap labor and a sustainable workforce for the growing industrialization

efforts by the US made immigration numbers into the country rise significantly. According to

Holzer, the US has benefited incredibly due to the large numbers of immigrants in the country

who can do unskilled and labor-intensive work that nobody in the country would like to perform

(8). However, the consequences of immigration and the resultant effects that arise according to

the current governmental regime, have influenced strict laws on immigration and increased

border patrols to wade off illegal immigration. The US/ Mexico border is abuzz with activities

with large numbers of immigrants trying to cross illegally and law enforcement trying to thwart

those efforts on a daily basis. The concerns raised by the government on illegal immigration

involve the prevalence of drug trafficking, insecurity, illicit activities and terrorism are the top

agendas against unlawful immigration especially concerning Mexican immigrants crossing the

US/ Mexico borders.

Rebecca notes that the increased border enforcement by the US, have significantly

reduced the number of immigrants in the country due to the fears of being caught and punished

by the law under the jurisdiction of American courts (2). However, as the rigorous enforcement

escalates, the movement of immigrants back to Mexico has also reduced due to the fears of being

unable to return to the country. These factors if taken into account, I realize there is little that has

been done to solve the immigration issue. The US-Mexico border has become less frequent with

activities, but the efforts to sneak into America have not stopped and increasingly become

dangerous for the immigrants. Menjivar and Abrego claim that the dangers of immigration trips

have become a matter of survival and a “new normal” for immigrants who put themselves in

tremendous risks to cross the border (1381). Moreover, these are some of the issues that I found
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were being spoken of in The Devil’s Highway, whereby despite twenty-six men setting out to

cross the US-Mexico border and their two guides, only twelve made it alive (Urrea 6-12).

In conclusion, the US-Mexico border has been the most active route for illegal

immigration despite the cases of casualties and atrocious conditions that the immigrants are

exposed to in their pursuit to get into America to seek for opportunities to better their lives. The

immigrants are faced with stringent standards of living and little paying jobs that hardly help

them get by with their lives. The promise of the American dream is not as auspicious as they

thought and are exposed continuously to deportation. The lack of proper jobs and reasonable

standards of living are difficulties that illegal immigrants have to adapt to, due to the

marginalization, stigma, and discrimination that they face. Equally, these are some of the

circumstances that confront the marginalized American communities in the US such as the black

and Hispanic groups. These groups are exposed elements such as but not limited to; poverty,

limited mobility, low incomes, poor facilities and institutions, and inadequate infrastructure. I

desire that one day the issues of immigration and marginalization will be resolved and equality in

the treatment of human beings established. I envisage a society that will exist in harmony, and

proper legislation put in place to address some of these disturbing issues since no moral value is

higher than humanity.

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Work Cited

Chavez, Leo R. Shadowed lives: Undocumented immigrants in American society. Cengage

Learning, 2012.

Diaz, Priscila, Delia S. Saenz, and Virginia SY Kwan. "Economic dynamics and changes in

attitudes toward undocumented Mexican immigrants in Arizona." Analyses of Social

Issues and Public Policy 11.1 (2011): 300-313.

Holzer, Harry J. Immigration policy and less-skilled workers in the United States: Reflections on

future directions for reform. No. 22. IZA Policy Paper, 2011: 1-29.

Lessem, Rebecca. "Mexico-US immigration: Effects of wages and border enforcement."

Unpublished Manuscript (2013): 1-40.

Massey, Douglas S., and Fernando Riosmena. "Undocumented migration from Latin America in

an era of rising US enforcement." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and

Social Science 630.1 (2010): 294-321.

Menjívar, Cecilia, and Leisy Abrego. "Legal violence: Immigration law and the lives of Central

American immigrants." American Journal of Sociology 117.5 (2012): 1380-1421.

Urrea, Luis Alberto. The devil's highway: A true story. Hachette UK, 2008.