| In the nation's continued response to the tragic events of 9/11, the nation's southern border is currently being used as a scapegoat in the current vague "war on terror." Suddenly, security has become synonymous with stopping undocumented immigration, and unfortunately, this country's immigration policies have resulted in very real negative consequences.
In the wake of expanding enforcement operations, a "hidden system" has been created where there is no concern to the fate of those being deported. They have simply become the sacrificial victims of our broken immigration system. In the closing lines of the song "Mojado," Ricardo Arjona featuring Intocable, asks a question of immense relevance to those who continue to shut their eyes to the recent surge of immigration raids and border militarization projects: "¿Si la visa universal se extiende el día en que nacemos y caduca en la muerte, Por qué te persiguen, mojado, si el consul de los cielos ya te dio permiso?" ("If the universal visa begins when we are born and expires at our death, why do they persecute you, Mojado, if the consul of the heavens has already given you permission?")
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| While it is important to criticize the consequences of the immigration raids, the hard question we should start asking ourselves is, "What drives a person from one society to hate another person from another society to the degree that they want to segregate them, even demoralize them?"
Exposing the massive violations that took place in Postville, Iowa, this past May, Marisa Trevino of Latina Lista, writes:
The secretive and isolationist nature of how the federal government conducts deportations and immigrant detentions naturally lends itself to abuse of the system and the erosion of human rights.
It is difficult for the average American to believe all of this happening within our borders because many of us would like to believe we are courageous enough to resist unjust authority and would never abandon our core beliefs in the face of social pressures. However, the reality is, we can never predict our actions without being placed in similar situations.
 Perhaps no one understand the roots of cruelty better than Philip Zimbardo. He is known for conducting the famous Stanford Prison Experiment, which demonstrated how, under the right circumstances, ordinary people could swiftly become amoral monsters. In his latest book, The Lucifer Effect, Zimbardo describes his own prison experiment that turned an ordinary group of young men into power-hungry "guards," humiliating equally ordinary "prisoners" in the basement of Stanford's psychology building.
The recipe for behavior change is not complicated. Dehumanization is the central process that changes a normal person into someone indifferent. The process clouds the mind of one's thinking and foster the perception that "other" people are less than human. It will even drive some people to see others as enemies deserving of torment and torture. It is through this process that allows these "illegal" residents to become the perfect scapegoats for xenophobes who have converted them into criminals in the popular consciousness.
I had the opportunity to meet with the families who were affected by the Houston raid. I have written many posts on how ICE raids have destroyed many families. While I have expressed my concerns, however, I was also grateful their problems were not mine. While I was in graduate school, I was taught it was better separate yourself from someone's pain because it would protect you from feeling overwhelmed and helpless.
However, I have come to realize this only perpetuates a fear that if the situation were to happen to us personally, we would not be able to bear it. It was easier to keep an emotional safe distance, so we could avoid the truth of their experience. While it is natural to feel sympathy when someone is hurting, there is little sense of what to offer as meaningful support.
When I was at the meeting, I failed to find the words to comfort them. It was not until my professional detachment began to fade that I could not stop the sadness that engulfed me. To hear their stories on how ICE treated them was truly heart breaking. The underlying story is the same throughout the country. Because Congress has failed to act on reform, more than 40 states have been busy trying to crack down on undocumented immigrants, whether they are parents or minors.
When I left the meeting, I could not help but break down because even animals are treated more humanely. How anyone could not shed a tear hearing their traumatic stories is beyond me.
- they were not allowed to close the door whenever someone needed to use the restroom
- sexual harassment. women being touched in private areas in from of the men
- been told if they did not go through the voluntary deportation, the proceeding could take over a year, which would mean they are not allowed to work.
- no water was granted to them. One said when they asked for water, ICE dumped the water on the floor, saying "There is no water for you."
- one woman fainted because she was thirsty and still no water was given to them
- before they were interviewed, they remained in a hot van with no running a/c for over an hour forced to share among 10-13 detainees one bottle water.
- when given something to drink, it was one of those frozen concentrated drink that was still unthawed.
It is under the guise of the rule of law, families are being separated arrested, and deported. With the construction of modern day human zoos, such as the T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, TX or the Willacy County Detention Center in Raymondville, TX or the numerous deportation prisons throughout this country, one must come to the realization that this is a representation of the collapse of a system that is not capable of making good on its promises of liberty, justice and democracy.
Attending the meeting has opened my eye and led me to view this humanitarian crises differently. I have come to realize that the best gift I can give to the thousands who have been victimized by our broken immigration system is my willingness to share their experience of the "hidden system" to others. |
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