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Joyce Lin

Professor Ogden

ENGL 001A

14 July 2022

Immigration Policies

Losing loved ones or being separated from them may be someone’s worst fear, something

that seems unlikely to happen in one’s lifetime, but in Javier Zamora’s UNACCOMPANIED, we

hear from someone who witnessed the terrifying confrontations with "La Migra" firsthand, as

well as the hardships he endured while separated from those closest to him. Javier Zamora

immigrated alone to the United States when he was only nine years old, crossing the border on

foot to reconnect with his family. He shares with the readers the hardships and many challenges

he faces during his experience. Many immigration policies have caused irreparable harm to many

immigrant families who are looking for a better life and better opportunities for not only

themselves but their children. They may go and risk themselves just for this better life in another

country, from risking materialistic things to even their own life. With all this harm and

permanent damage that immigration policies can have upon many of these families, the

government should act on creating more legislation that helps support and protect these families

from avoidable harm like family separation.

When considering creating more legislation to support these immigrant families, we first

need to understand the situations in which these people are put in first. In Javier Zamora’s

UNACCOMPANIED, he narrates his tragic experiences with him and his family’s attempts to

cross the border. When it comes to immigration, migration, and citizenship, there are numerous

issues to consider. In Zamora's poem "Second Attempt Crossing," He narrates his experience
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with a failed border crossing attempt he went through with his family. As they were being

pursued by the La Migra, he "ran from the white trucks, then their guns” (Zamora 2017). As the

reader, we can imagine just how perilous the situation was for them, and the lengths that the La

Migra would go to catch them. These lengths result in the damage made to numerous immigrant

families, separating them and physically injuring them.

As stated before, immigration policies can harm immigrant families in general. Policies

like the “zero tolerance” immigration enforcement policy in 2018, implemented by the Trump

administration, is a clear example of the damages which can be placed upon families crossing the

border. Although there are policies that are needed when illegal immigration takes place, this

policy not only separated families crossing the border without permission, “The government was

separating families along the length of the U.S.-Mexico border, including families arriving

through official ports of entry.” (Family 2022). Not only did this policy separate innocent

children from their families who could’ve been crossing the border legally, but this could also

cause the children permanent psychological and mental harm towards them. This shows the

cruelty and inhumanness of some of these policies.

In another case, “At least 50 migrants who were driven across the border in a

tractor-trailer that was abandoned near San Antonio have died as of Tuesday, from apparent

overheating.” (Narea 2022). Problems like suffering from heat exhaustion, dehydration, and

overheating are issues that could be solved and easily avoided if action was taken towards it. The

government could’ve provided for these families suffering in the heat and give them basic

resources like water, food, and a place to shelter them from the temperatures that “exceeded 100

degrees” (Narea 2022). In 2021, “650 migrants died crossing the border… in the first six months

of 2022, 290 people have died trying to cross the border” (Narea 2022). About 940 migrants
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have lost their lives, and likely many more immigrants will lose their lives too as they cross the

border. These policies provide no safety, security, or protection for these families. Many lives

have been lost due to problems that could be completely avoidable. In relation to Javier Zamora’s

UNACCOMPANIED, there were also no policies that provided any safety, security, or protection

for them. They were put into danger, many of which could've been at risk, or they could’ve

gotten injured in some way. Legislations that can provide these things to immigrant families can

be beneficial as they can keep these families safe and out of threatening situations.

With all the damages that come with immigration policies, many families are still

harmed. Many policies can harm and hurt innocent immigrant families at the border, but many

can be created by the government to counter these damages and protect families. With all of the

trauma and irreversible damage that immigration rules can inflict on many of these families, the

government should create additional legislation to protect these families from needless harm to

avoid family separation and any damages in general.

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Works Cited Page

“Family Separation – a Timeline.” Southern Poverty Law Center, SPLC Southern Poverty Law

Center, 23 Mar. 2022,

https://www.splcenter.org/news/2022/03/23/family-separation-timeline.

Narea, Nicole. Another 50 Migrant Deaths and an Ever-Climbing Body Count on the Border,

Vox, 28 June 2022,

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/6/28/23187056/san-antonio-migrant-death

-truck-border.

Zamora, Javier. Unaccompanied, Copper Canyon Press, 2017. ProQuest Ebook Central,

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pasadena/detail.action?docID=5355731.