Border Crossings

Living in Houston, which has a large number of illegal immigrants from many Latin American countries, I have always been interested in immigration issues. During high school, I worked in a restaurant where the majority of workers were illegal immigrants, and I often heard many of their stories about coming to Texas as "wetbacks." When Bush was first elected, there was a lot of hope and excitement related to immigration policy. However, as attention was turned from Mexico and immigration to Iraq and other security issues, this hope faded pretty quickly. I recently came across some articles describing the deteriorating conditions at the border, and the new policies implemented by the government to curb the influx of illegal immigrants. These articles present an interesting picture of the deteriorating conditions at border crossings, and the not-so-successful attempts to deter illegal crossings. From my experiences and past studies, it seems that no matter what policies are implemented, or what challenges many Latin Americans face when attempting to enter the country illegally, they will continue to do so as long as the hope of higher wages and a better life is associated with getting work in the United States. Maybe the government should take a different approach to the problem.....Let me know what you all think.


A Border Killing Inflames Mexican Anger at U.S. Policy
Tight Immigration Policy Hits Roadblock of Reality