In Their Shoes: Being Undocumented
Henry Thoreau has a quote that says, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” I think this concept is crucial because it can perhaps influence the manner of which we perceive Mexican Immigrants and the generations who have become Americans by Natural born right. The livelihood of millions of innocent people is constantly jeopardized by mass corruption as a result of narco-dollars infiltrated into the Mexican economy. As a result of this imbalance millions of citizens head to Rio Grande to swim into the United States. Women bringing their children, smugglers who deal in the black market abducting young women and children to sell into the business of sex trafficking. The unimaginable is possible once they reach the border, surely stories have been passed down and people know what to expect. That can only illustrate the horrible reality that they face in their motherland.
Some media outlets and aspiring political figures such as Presidential candidate Donald Trump are under the presumption that the only refugees entering the country are Mexican citizens. There are in fact, Cubans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Ecuadoreans, and Brazilians entering the country illegally. To be brutally honest, it didn’t shock me when he began to say what he did, “When Mexico sends its people they’re not sending their best. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” Does he assume the same of the other nationalities as well? According to the Department of Homeland Security, the percentages of undocumented immigrants are as follows: 62 percent are Mexican, 5 percent are Salvadoran, 4 percent are Guatemalan, 3 percent are Honduran, 2 percent are Ecuadorean and 1 percent are Brazilian. The question then arises, what are the psychological and sociological effects of targeting Mexicans in the media?
I am no scientist; however, I am a survivor of bullying and I can only imagine how much trauma these undocumented immigrants feel on a daily basis. According to stopbullying.gov, victims of bullying are likely to experience depression and anxiety, health complaints, and decreased academic achievement. Bystanders are more likely to use tobacco, alcohol or drugs, and experience increased mental health problems including depression and anxiety. The taunting that undocumented immigrants have sustained has spiked especially during the time leading up to the upcoming election.
The fact that Trump’s words are resonating with millions of people can only attest to the amplification of rhetoric that is necessary to get away with permanently damaging the dignity of these undocumented immigrants. Because the United States is a capitalist nation, it came with no surprise that one of the many arguments made when discussing undocumented immigrants is the misconception that they are taking all of Americans’ hard earned money, when, in fact, much of the employment they choose is under the table – meaning they are not protected by any unions, laws, and are the most manipulated of any people in the country.
Undocumented immigrants are not promised any pay, and as a result are often found in situations where they can’t defend themselves due to fear of being reported to the ICE which leads to deportation. Because all of these undocumented immigrants have little to any rights with jobs they often get into with hopes of getting their families out of extreme poverty, none of the revenue they make in companies across the nation is untaxed – adding millions more into the pockets of the CEOs who hire them.
So what psychological affects does it have to target Mexicans specifically when there are five other major Central and South American natives entering in the same manner they are? Fear is instilled in undocumented Mexican immigrants, discrimination from other groups begins to rise and their perception is now that Mexicans are at the bottom of the Latinx American food chain, so-to-speak, because of the constant highlighted issues in the media.
Hate inspired crimes have increased in the United States since Trump’s unfiltered rhetoric has saturated the media. A homeless Hispanic man in Boston, MA endured injuries inflicted by two brothers who were inspired by Trump’s message on immigration. According to thedailybeast. com, The Bureau of Justice Statistics report on 2012 hate crimes exposes an alarming rise in attacks on a population made up of more than 53 million: Hispanics.
The unfortunate thing about Trump is that you don’t know how serious he takes his words. As it has been proven time after time, his speech seems to roll off the tongue. CNN questioned a remorseful tone in one of Donald Trump’s recent speeches after meeting with the Mexican president who is notorious for his standpoint against the electoral candidate. Trump’s request for Mexicans to build a wall and for the Mexican government to pay for it didn’t sit well with President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto and I quote, “I’m not building that f-cking wall.”
So now that we know that there is more than one Latin American demographic entering the United States in an illegal manner, what do we do now? Do we educate everyone to empathize more with Mexican Americans by creating campaigns by saying they aren’t the only ones? The sad reality is that by stirring up more education in the media there is more potential to open the door for even more discrimination in conjunction to the rising Anti-Hispanic rhetoric that has been brainwashing the minds of millions as of late. What is apparent is that undocumented immigrants are targeted, conversations around questions such as, “Are you a citizen? Are you American?” and rhetoric regarding validity of citizenship have been increasing on social platforms.
In order to demolish the wall of hatred and bigotry that is at the core for domestic crimes towards undocumented immigrants is simply that we must try. Progress can’t be made without the proper resources that contribute to reestablishing the connections between color of people and the majority. One thing that will forever remain evident via crises such as these is that education is key; patience and understanding are crucial if we are ever to make a step forward.
