The Faces of Immigration Pt. 2

Immigration has been fluctuating in and out of public focus since the founding of our country. During the 19th century waves of Irish, Polish and Chinese immigrants came through Ellis Island.Today, three thousand miles away from USD there is a new, illicit point of entry, the desert between San Diego and El Paso, Texas. The non-partisan Pew Hispanic Center estimates the population of undocumented immigrants to be approximately 500,000 annually, with the total number of undocumented immigrants living in the United States at 11.9 million in 2008. The demographics of undocumented populations are very difficult to gather exact data on. However, the Pew Center estimates that about 31 percent or 11 million of all foreign-born people in the United States, legal or otherwise, are Mexican. It is primarily the increasing Latino population that has brought immigration into America's focus. Many local governments have pushed legislation designed to dispel undocumented immigrants. In 2006 the issue gained national attention as Congress debated immigration, but failed to pass new legislation for a lack of constituency. Through the Trans-Border Institute I spent a month last summer studying border issues at the Universidad Iberoamericana and subsequently spent two months performing community service while living with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange in eastern Tijuana. At USD, the Romero Center travels monthly to Tijuana to perform community service with varying host sites. USD also has connections with the orphanage La Gloria and Dorcas House, a temporary shelter for children whose parents are incarcerated. This year, the Romero Center has focused on the community of La Morita. Over the last few years, a group of priests have built a large community center, health clinic and a network of 14 churches in the surrounding area. This past summer, I taught English to three classes of children and adults and had the chance to travel around the neighborhood, hearing and seeing the problems that affect the community. Last semester we engaged in a variety of recycling and cleanup projects initiated by a local priest, Father Nicholas, in an effort to encourage the local population to recycle and clean up public areas, such as the local soccer field that was littered with trash. The Romero Center's efforts to promote awareness and service in Tijuana include the annual Tijuana Spring Breakthrough where students spend five days in Tijuana, engaging in a variety of service and educational experiences. Trips to the border fence between the United States and Mexico serve as a reminder to students that our laws have human impact. The crosses memorializing those who have perished crossing the border are particularly touching. The experience forces students to ask difficult questions and engage in deeper thinking about both justice and our relationship to our often invisible neighbors, some of whom are merely half an hour away. The Romero Center promotes immigration and justice through its activities and by encouraging students interested in these topics to attend the variety of seminars put on by the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice and the TBI. On an academic level, the TBI explores the border region at large, focusing on four key areas: economic development and quality of life, education and community development, law and security, and religion and spirituality. The TBI not only studies these issues, but funds grant proposals for faculty and student research along the border and student activities such as Migrant Outreach in which USD students travel each Sunday to North County to teach English to migrants. Last Thursday, the TBI and Los Angeles Times hosted a forum titled "Mexico Under Siege" bringing to light the increasingly violent drug war. Reporters and academics who study issues surrounding economic development and rule of law shared their insights. The presentation focused on the drug cartel's history along the border, the effects of drug cartel shake ups and government intervention, and the policy initiatives moving forward. Don Bartletti, longtime photojournalist of the Los Angeles Times, narrated a slideshow of his work, highlighting the gruesome effects of drug killings along the border. For one of the photos, he explained that children on recess came to a house where there had been a shootout and took pictures on their cell phones to show their schoolmates. This emphasized that immigration affects every single person, even children. The forum also discussed the Meridia Initiative, in which the United States would give assistance to Mexico in fighting drug cartels. Jorge Chabat, of the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas in Mexico City believes that both drug legalization and governmental tolerance of drug cartels would not solve Mexico's siege. Panelists offered a range of ideas, from strengthening the rule of law to drug treatment advocacy. Audience members commented on the drug consumption problem in the United States and Mexico and asked about reform targeted at reducing demand. The drug war has increased other forms of crime including kidnappings. The TBI's leadership in this study serves both sides of the border and USD, even as the United States is increasingly affected and dedicated to the reduction of this crime. Alberto Capella, Ex-Secretario, Secretaría de Seguridad Pública in Tijuana expressed that American visitors are welcome in Tijuana and had not been targeted in drug crime during his tenure in public safety last year. The State Department has issued a Travel Alert for Mexico, but at this time USD is still traveling to Tijuana. USD is committed to both the study of border issues, as well as direct service and advocacy. Many of the people we serve in the communities have migrated from southern Mexico to seek economic opportunity across the border. I encourage students to take a day and put faces to the often abstract concepts and experience the community firsthand.