A Caravan Compromise

 

 This week, Mexico’s government unveiled their plan called "Estas en tu Casa"(You are in your home). The program provides the migrants with temporary employment, access to government-funded health care, and education for their children. The migrants who take part in the program will be employed in the cleaning and maintenance of public buildings and roads.In order to take part in the program, the migrants and their families must be in the country legally and reach out to immigration authorities who will sign them up. The program will only be available in the southern Mexican states of Chiapas and Oaxaca. Those who are part of the caravan and entered the country illegally will be given time to begin the immigration process and must follow Mexico’s immigration law. Those in the program will also be given Mexico’s version of a social security number, commonly known as CURP (Clave Unica de Registro Publico) so they are able to open bank accounts and what not. According to Mexico’s Secretariat of the Interior, the program is designed to help up to 6,000 migrants and will be supported through emergency funds destined for social emergencies. 

I decided to write my blog about this topic because of the book we had just finished called Refugee. In this book multiple characters are trying to flee their home country to get somewhere safe. In this instance, individuals are being offered asylum, and are able to escape the hardships of their home countries. Unlike the individuals in the book who were turned away from countries. Although, many migrants in the caravan decided to turn down Mexico's offer, and will proceed to the U.S. I thought this was so interesting because the U.S. will turn them away. Why not take Mexico's offer? 

Can the U.S. learn better immigration policies?

Every country regulates immigration in its own imperfect way. Some countries have populations that are 80 percent foreign-born but don't allow residents to permanently stay . Other countries put up huge barriers to citizenship except for people whose parents were born there. In the United States, the Senate has really struggled to pass an immigration reform bill. But the debate has put nearly every category of immigration on the table, from smaller  programs such as ,Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Temporary Protected Status and the Diversity Immigrant Visa to the big problems of the immigration system like work-related and family-based migration.
“In many ways the U.S. immigration system is a relic of the past,” said Justin Gest, a professor at George Mason University who studies comparative immigration policy, referring to how the public opinion has changed since 1965, when the family-based system was established. “It is far more generous than I think the spirit of the United States is today.”
In 2011, Canada and Australia relied heavily on immigrants who were accepted based on rate of employment, many were also allowed to stay permanently. Both countries used a merit-based point system to determine who qualified, assigning a number of points to criteria such as education, language skills and employment history. 
On the contrary, Europe has a different approach. Most immigrants in Europe have been other Europeans. The European Union allows people to relocate between countries with a level of freedom that is totally different than elsewhere in the world, greatly widening employment opportunities. In a system like that, Americans looking for work would be able to expand their searches into Canada and Mexico, but they would also compete against Canadian and Mexican candidates for jobs in the United States. 
Could the United States change their policies ? The answer is yes, but it will be a lengthy process. We must observe other countries, and learn the strengths and weaknesses of their migration systems. Storming the Wall really made me think why do we keep this flawed system of immigration? Why not try something else?

Venezuelan Crisis

The ongoing economic crisis in Venezuela is driving people to leave the country by the hundreds of thousands. Crossing borders on foot and seeking better lives in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and beyond. They are fleeing a nation that has frequent power outages and water shortages, and suffers from a severe lack of food and basic medical supplies. Hyperinflation has become such a burden that new currency was recently issued, at a conversion rate of 100,000 bolivars (old currency) to 1 sovereign bolivar (new). The IMF estimated that Venezuela’s rate of inflation might reach 1,000,000 percent this year. Just this week, several new economic measures will take effect, including a more-than-3,000 percent hike in the minimum wage. The rising numbers of refugees are causing problems in bordering countries as well, with countries like Ecuador and Peru tightening restrictions on immigration. 

Just like in The Water Knife many individuals have had to ration water due to shortages. The government has also decided to regulate the rationing of the water. Making sure each person only takes their designated amount. Just like in the book many citizens are desperate for anything. Venezuelans have resorted to killing local dogs, cats, and any other animal they can find. Desperate times call for desperate measures. 

The Water Knife also had some amazing quotes that describes what humans do in desperate times. The first one is, “Desperate people did desperate things, became avatars of unexpected tragedy.”  Another quote I thought really connected was, "We knew it was all going to go to hell, and we just stood by and watched it happen anyway. There ought to be a prize for that kind of stupidity.” Many Venezuelans knew that their country was definitely struggling, and many decided to do nothing about it. They are now suffering horribly because of their decision.