As I work on my 20th blog post, I think we can all agree the situation at the US / Mexico border is complex and multi-faceted. How it got that way is an equally complex and multi-faceted story, one I am only starting to wrestle with. I want to highlight a few things I've learned.
Where Border Patrol Work.
Approaching this station on the highway, I thought we were arriving at the border with
Mexico. But no, it was still 26 miles away. This is the Tubac Border Patrol Checkpoint. Customs is in charge at the official border crossings (described in the Nogales Wall post); Border Patrol functions between and around those crossings.
This temporary checkpoint was installed in 2007; whenever the government announces plans to build a permanent facility, local residents come out to protest in droves. But even the temporary checkpoint is a huge issue. The town of Tubac is a tourist spot, with great restaurants and art. Local business owners believe business has been significantly impacted by the checkpoint; not just the traffic delays, but also the intimidation of interviews with border patrol agents.
Once again showing my ignorance, I had no idea Border Patrol checkpoints were common. There are currently over 70 along the US - Mexico border, between 25 and 75 miles north of the border on main highways. (There are a few checkpoints along the US - Canadian border; for some reason I could not find a specific number.) The purpose of the checkpoints is to check for citizenship and drugs. Many feel the real reason for the checkpoints it to cause fear and division.
Security vs. Militarization
In everything I have read and with everyone I spoke to, nobody has advocated for getting rid of borders or leaving US borders open - except one very free spirited pan flute artist. But leaders and volunteers alike are concerned about how border security has transformed into border militarization. Razor wire, attack dogs, automatic weapons are the routine accessories at the border and among Border Patrol. It seems like a war zone; one that impacts our citizens as much or more as any perceived enemy.
The militarization of our border has impacted wildlife, property values, tourism and other businesses. People feel it has threatened the "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" of US citizens who live in the shadow of the wall, are routinely questioned by armed officials on their way to work, and hear the negative rhetoric aimed at people who look like them. Children are reportedly experiencing "checkpoint trauma;" at checkpoints and border crossings, agents ask children questions in an effort to catch parents in lies. This is particularly reported among members of the Tohono O'odham tribe or people of Mexican / Central American lineage; that is, US citizens with brown skin.
Recent History: NAFTA, Operation Gatekeeper, 9/11
So it's safe to say I still don't have a handle on NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). But I now know that this agreement made between US, Mexico and Canada in 1994 has had a huge impact on the border. NAFTA made trade and economic cooperation between the three countries much easier. It was an economic benefit to some on both sides. But, as usual, it had lots of unintended consequences, and NAFTA (along with other forces) generally made the economic situation in Mexico worse. Farms in Mexico shut down due to the import of cheaper food from subsidized farms in the US, US companies built factories in Mexico which gave jobs to some, but also resulted in an influx of cheap goods that pushed small companies out of business, With existence in Mexico becoming more desperate, people traveled to the US in search of work.
As illegal immigration continued, the Clinton administration enacted Operation
Gatekeeper. This was a strategy of "control through deterrence:" places along the border where crossing was easier, such as urban centers, were militarized, and walls built. Instead of deterring desperate immigrants, this shifted their journeys to treacherous terrain through deserts and over mountains. Deaths of immigrants increased sharply.
After the terrible events of 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security was created to coordinate border security, immigration and customs, and anti-terrorism efforts. As we have seen in many police departments around the country, post-9/11 reportedly brought an even higher level of militarization to the southern border.
I'm almost to the end of my blog posts, and yet I feel like I have so much left to learn.
More information:
In this YouTube video, volunteer Alyson Ball gives a quick and helpful overview of historical and current US policies on immigration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=_8-WeeDYIF0
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