With the rising hype on the situation of the Mexican border, it is without a doubt that some of the news has alarmed many of the American citizens today. We read of the rising body count of illegal immigrants in their desperate attempts to cross the border, drug smugglers who die in a bloody shootout, and the Border Patrol agents who gave their lives defending our nation’s doorstep. And yet, our agents, both American citizens and honorary enforcers of the law, are not only burdened with avoidable circumstances and inadequate support from the lack of proper government plans and direction, but also scorn and criticism from the public.
The Border Patrol face many difficulties in their line of work; difficulties that hinder their efforts to save lives and enforce the security of Americans. In support, the book, The Devil’s Highway, the author Luis Alberto Urrea gives us the credible and factual insight into the lives of the “men in green”, using records and interviews from the Border Patrol themselves. These difficulties range from psychological burdens to mortal dangers, all of these a part of the everyday routine of a typical Border Patrol agent. The book itself tells its readers of the tragedy of the Wellton 26 (or as it is better known, the Yuma 14): the ordeal of twenty-six immigrants from Mexico who attempted to illegally cross the U.S. border through the vast dessert, otherwise known as the Devil’s Highway.
It is reasonable to say that in the light of their circumstance, there is no alternative but to be as uncompromising as our nation’s leaders say we must be when it comes to our security; additional man power, funding and support for the Border Patrol must be made available for the demanding and virtuous task. Some may disagree; our nation’s focus should be on the war in Iraq instead as considerably more lives are lost in the war effort. Yes, that is indeed true, but we cannot disregard the current threats that our Border Patrol men face everyday at the border of our own country. Coyote smuggling syndicates and drug cartels are growing more and more powerful each day while our security forces are dwindling. Agents, criminals and immigrants die at our very door. Shall we remain apathetic and insist on the war effort in Iraq while our own country is at risk?
Consider with me then the current problems of our “men in green”. Suffice to say, we have fewer and fewer “men in green” today than we had prior to 9/11. At our border, “new waves [of immigrants] surged, the Coyote operations expanded”, and “as the onslaught swelled, the Border Patrol thinned” (205). The lack of man power allocated to the Border Patrol only fuels the crisis of the increased drug smuggling and illegal immigration operations and evidently had significant repercussions on the citizens of our country, who by the failure of the Bush Administration to address the reported needs of the people, spurred citizens to protest against the Administration and unofficially support the Border Patrol in 2005 (“Protest targets border staffing”).
But that is, unfortunately, one of the few supports the Border Patrol receive, despite their labor. Public criticism and misconceptions plague the Border Patrol everyday as “stories burn all along the borderlands of Border Patrol men taking their prisoners out into the wasteland and having their way with them”, “the dark image of the evil Border Patrol agent dogs every [agent] who goes into the desert in his truck”(17). Agents are advised not to even wear their uniforms into public places for fear of the public violent repercussions.
Criticism goes even further as hate crimes are committed; the Border Patrol face many instances of vandalism of equipment and extreme exercises of protest by radical Mexicans, their “water stations vandalized…broken open so they run dry”, and “[s]mall groups of Mexicans are found tied and shot in the head” (214). It goes without saying that those water stations are used to rescue dying and shriveled immigrants; the defenseless and bounded Mexicans shot and left outside the doorstep of the Border Patrol is a testimony of the Coyotes and the radicals who exploit their very own people for monetary gain.
As if their jobs weren’t hard enough. A typical Border Patrol agent deals with death more than a great majority of people do in their lifetime. It wouldn’t be farfetched to even say that it is part of the job description. As Urrea puts it, “You’d be hard pressed to meet a Border Patrol agent…who had not encountered death” (20). One cannot imagine the emotional scarring that comes with the exposure of mummified corpses, pregnant women “with dying fetuses within them”, and the desperate faces of survivors often in the state of shock and heat exhaustion. The morbid reality of their job is only outshined by their sense of duty and honor for their country and its inhabitants.
And it is not only the lives of the immigrants that the Border Patrol have to worry about. In fact, the Border Patrol face constant mortal threats, endangering their very lives and in many instances, costing the lives of agents on the ground. Urrea recollects the murder of Ranger Chris Eggle who suffered multiple gun shots and died by the hands of two armed gunmen who were caught in the attempt to smuggle drugs across the border (208). On Feb 20, 2009 (incredibly recent news), the chief of police in Cuidad Juarez, Roberto Orduna Cruz was forced to resign from his post after the drug cartels threatened to kill Mexican police officers if he did not comply and “made good on that threat” ( Sanders).
The reality of our current nation’s fight against drug trafficking is that many of the battles are fought on the fine line separating the United States of America and the country of Mexico. Drug cartels truly are becoming more powerful each day while Mexico’s own officials and law enforcement are threatened and killed. Sooner or later, this fight will carry over the border and the situation in Mexico may very well foreshadow that of our own American security, should this prolong and persist any longer.
While there are many proposals for a change of drug regulations between the countries, gun imports and so on, many of these rely on the coordination of two large countries with foreseeable significant expenses spent. While I do agree that international agreements are in order, and that the “World’s Big Brother, America” should assist Mexico (after all, the country and ours are only separated by that line), these efforts will take time for it to take effect, and the drug cartels and Coyotes definitely will not wait for Mexican citizens to be better off. In the light of the ever expanding threat, we must implement support for the “boys in green”, and reinforce the border.
First of all, additional man power is necessary. Of course, the reinforcement of agents must be implemented over enough time to adequately train the recruits without compromising the qualifications that a typical agent must have in order to do his duty properly, especially skills like marksmanship and proper education of procedures like the Rules of Engagement: the mandate that instructs the proper and legal use of lethal force to disable or kill a person(s) deemed as a threat. This will reduce the problems of a thinly spread line of defense and detection, enforce the security of the border for American Citizens, and allow more shift rotations among the agents to relieve psychological stresses and improve morale.
Secondly, additional funding and support from the government is required to supply adequate equipment, wages, and services. Benefits like health care, life insurance, and good pay must also cover every agent working in the force. Due to the dangerous nature of the job, the Border Patrol must have adequate salaries to support their families. Equipment especially must be relevant to the specific task and operation. Not only will this keep morale high, it will dissuade the patrollers from corruption and bribery, a well known trait found in the Mexican security force. I believe this to be a reasonable and realistic proposal.
Lastly, I am in support of the innovations of certain Border Patrol agents who have designed and created new ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations, namely Agent John Bergkretter who innovatively designed a solar powered life saving tower, “thirty feet tall…visible day and night”, and equipped with a rescue button that summons agents to the position within the hour (213). Scattered all around the dessert, these towers saved lives of immigrants who would otherwise be dead, much like the Wellton 26. It is with these proactive initiatives that speak volumes of the dedication of the Border Patrol agents to their work. As the previous two solutions are externally supported, we must also encourage creativeness and innovations within the agency. This can be done with simple programs that award agents who come up with successful innovations such as the life saving towers with monetary awards sponsored by the government.
Now critics may claim that these efforts are futile and do not address the real heart of the issue. “Firebrand lawyer and human rights activist” Isabel Garcia was one who disagreed. As a response to the efforts and funds spent on raising the towers, Garcia addresses the life saving towers and states that “the Border Patrol’s lifesaving tactics are like ‘throwing a child in the ocean and then throwing in floaties afterward. It’s not sufficient, and we think it’s disingenuous to say they’re making it safer. Our border policies are the direct cause of those fourteen deaths’” (215). Truthfully, I do agree with her statement, and that our border policies must change for the problem lies within the inter-country politics and agreements. It would be unwise for us to spend attention on solving the by-products of a greater problem.
However, this alone will not completely and immediately prevent the attempts of illegal immigration. Firstly, the proper adjustments and changes to our border policies, whatever they may be, are long term and cost consuming, not to mention the time it takes for a proposal to be conceived and edited, passed by Congress, and implemented. This will take too long to take effect, and as we wait idly by, immigrants are dying every day.
Secondly, there will always be people desperate enough to want to cross. Would a perfect border policy eradicate the operations of powerful Coyote operations and drug cartels? Of course not. Rather, these life saving towers not only provide rescue and aid for those trapped and unable to navigate out of the dessert, but they will indeed prevent future case of the Wellton 26/Yuma 14.
The impending war on drugs in American soil is approaching swiftly. The Mexican government is slowly succumbing to the demands of powerful drug lords and soon, our nation will be more affected than it ever was. Our vanguard against this threat is indeed the Border Patrol who are ever in need of support and man power, and should not be regarded any less than our brave soldiers fighting in Iraq. For the welfare and security of America, we must continue to remember and aid those fighting on behalf of every American