Spread of Inaccurate Information Across the U.S.-Mexico Border
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| A Migrant Group Waiting On a Bridge Location: Mexican side of the Paso del Norte International Bridge (Between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico) Date: March 10, 2021 |
There is a lot of information online in which what is being stated may be skewered from the truth. Considering the fact that the United States is gradually becoming modernized through technology, the assumption can be made about the amount of misinformation increasing over the course of the years. Such misinformation connects to immigration as there are assumptions of Mexican immigrants possibly causing trouble in the United States. There were many programs to choose from on Latino USA, which is a media website that talks about topics that are important for the Latino community to recognize. The host of the program titled Cross-Border Misinformation is Maria Hinojosa and Jean Guerrero is the guest speaker. Jean talks with Maria about what she believes is the root of the U.S.-Mexico border crisis. The date of the podcast is April 20, 2021, and was listened to on May 6, 2021.
With misinformation, an important fact that I got out of the program was when Maria said, "Unfortunately, in our digital era, what most sells, and what most goes viral, is the incendiary, the inflammatory, the things that are the most divisive" (Latino 1:25-1:37). Through this, I was able to think about the many comments online, both political and non-political, that have had their intentions tampered with and formatted in a different way that gets people across the world who see such comments to take in what others are saying online that may not be true. I like how there was a lot of background given with misinformation and how it connects to the U.S.-Mexico border crisis. The background information helped me to gain an insight into the topics that are going to be discussed in the program in detail.
Sticking to the topic of misinformation, another fact that intrigued me was when Maria stated, "Issues with people embarking on long journies north to the United States, and people in crisis seeking asylum, are nothing new, but misinformation and hysteria across social media and the news are burying historical knowledge and clouding many people's perspectives" (Latino 3:29-3:48). Many people jump to conclusions with what they come across online, and such content may get in the way of acknowledging the truth and only the truth. The issue of people being unable to seek asylum in the United States has been a problem for many years, with various presidents taking different approaches to solving the problem. Misinformation has a big role with media as facts that are stated one way are changed so they come off as something else. Because of this, people are unaware of what is true and what is not, the concept applying to the U.S.-Mexico border because of mixed information that talks about Mexican immigrants coming to the United States with good intentions and bad intentions at the same time from some sources.
I did not like how biased the podcast was with Jean Guerrero because it seems as if she was only talking about who is to blame for the U.S.-Mexico border crisis while trying to emphasize why she is right. The border crisis is not one political party's fault, which she seemed fixated on believing that was the case. Because of her bias, it was tempting to skip over whatever she was talking about in the program. I learned more from Maria Hinojosa than the guest speaker because she was not as biased and brought up great points to the extent where I understood what she was trying to say. I understand that Jean has her opinion and I have mine, but it seemed as if Jean was close-minded about those that think differently and has established facts in which she assumes that those who think differently do not know what they are talking about.
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| Aerial View of the U.S.-Mexico Border Fence (Visible from Tijuana, Mexico) |
The JSTOR article I selected is titled "Mexicans in the United States: In Pursuit of Inclusion," which was written by Alexandra Délano Alonso. Alexandra explains in detail how Mexicans in the United States have been trying to feel included in the country and failed because of many factors, one of the factors stemming from not having proper documents. This article intrigued me because it has similarities to the podcast, which they both discussed the topic of the U.S.-Mexico border along with problems that have arisen over the course of the years. In the second paragraph on the first page, she mentions, "Mexicans are one of the most disadvantaged US immigrant groups in terms of socioeconomic mobility and access to citizenship. Compared with other immigrant groups and with the native population, Mexican immigrants have higher levels of poverty, lower education levels, poorer health outcomes, and lower naturalization rates. These problems result from structural causes in Mexico and the US, including the fact that 5-6 million Mexican immigrants are undocumented" (Alonso 305).
What is the main cause behind millions of Mexican immigrants being unable to get the documents they need to enter the United States? My guess is that the system in which the border functions is very complicated, resulting in the millions of immigrants looking for loopholes to prevent having to wait for the paperwork they may never get. Through bringing such issues to light that Mexican immigrants face, Alexandra shows that change needs to be made within the system of the border and that more programs need to be created to help them. No matter the reason immigrants have to enter the country, they should have a chance to enter the country without being immediately turned away. If more Mexican immigrants were able to get paperwork, then there would not be many deportations. Throughout the article, Alexandra's ability to explain the various struggles Mexican immigrants face helped me to see that the organization of the U.S.-Mexico border is a mess and that change is necessary in order to welcome more immigrants, which they could bend some rules that are deemed as strict.
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| An Unfinished Segment of the U.S.-Mexico Border Location: Near La Joya, Texas |
It is clear there is a border crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, which there are many migrants trying to get into the United States with no luck. It is sad to see immigrant families turned away from entering the country they worked so hard to get near to from their home countries. The main idea from the JSTOR article is summarized when Alexandra writes, "The disadvantages that millions of Mexican migrants face are partly the result of limited funding for integration programs in the United States. They are also caused by outdated immigration policies that fail to recognize the historical realities of cross-border mobility and ties. The discourse of bilateral collaboration mostly focuses on securing the border rather than the well-being of Mexicans and their communities in both countries" (Alonso 311). With little to no programs to help Mexican migrants that approach the U.S.-Mexico border, it seems as if the wall separating the two countries is served only as protection and not building relationships that could grow in the future. At the same time of strengthening the border, the United States could work on making ends meet with Mexico and migrants, in which they could create compromises that help migrants trickle into the United States over time while satisfying the current citizens that have resided in the country already.
Instead of making claims that create blame on specific parties, people can work on creating civil discussions in which solutions can be compromised to satisfy both sides. Claims that may not be true are similar to theories, which "theories are actually meant to stir up hysteria in the United States, so it's not too much about what's going on in Mexico or in their home towns, it's more about trying to manipulate politics in the United States through these other narratives" (Latino 6:57-7:14). Instead of pushing narratives that connect with politics, people should be open-minded with those that disagree and see where common ground can be found. The topic of the U.S.-Mexico border connects to the class theme I selected of what it means to be human. Not every human will agree on everything. Respect is important because it allows us to work together to solve the problem of turning away too many immigrants. We should not label immigrants without sufficient paperwork as illegal because such comments are not necessary and will create more heated arguments than there should be.
There is a lot of work that needs to be done in order to satisfy as many Mexican immigrants as possible while keeping current U.S. citizens satisfied. Embedded below is a YouTube video that is just over seven minutes long and gives a brief history of the events that have led to the current border of a big wall separating the two countries. It is crazy to believe how the United States and Mexico did not have a border wall many years ago. I selected this video because it has a connection to immigration. By immigration, I mean the past ability to easily travel between the countries before the upgrade in the wall, which slowed down people from being able to travel to and from the United States and Mexico.
Alonso, Alexandra Délano. “Mexicans in the United States: In Pursuit of Inclusion.” Current History, vol. 115, no. 784, 2016, pp. 305–311. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/48614198. Accessed 6 May 2021.
Davis, Charles, et al. “What Is Life Really like in Border Country, Where Trump Wants His Wall?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 15 Jan. 2019, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/15/us-mexico-border-trump-wall-dispatch. Accessed 6 May 2021.
“How Walls Ended Up Along the U.S.-Mexico Border | NYT News.” YouTube, uploaded by The New York Times, 25 July 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxbXhSAia_o&feature=youtu.be. Accessed 6 May 2021.Kocherga, Angela. “Rejected By 1 Mexican Port Of Entry, Migrants Are Flown By U.S. To Another.” NPR, NPR, 26 Mar. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/03/26/981190646/rejected-by-1-mexican-port-of-entry-migrants-are-flown-by-u-s-to-another. Accessed 6 May 2021.
Leaños, Reynaldo, Jr., “Cross-Border Misinformation.” Latino USA, Latino USA, 20 Apr. 2021, www.latinousa.org/2021/04/20/bordermisinformation/. Accessed 6 May 2021.
“Pentagon to Cancel Trump Border Wall Projects Using US Military Funds.” The National, The National, 30 Apr. 2021, www.thenationalnews.com/world/the-americas/pentagon-to-cancel-trump-border-wall-projects-using-us-military-funds-1.1214362. Accessed 6 May 2021.
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