Will open borders solve problems?

(picture of a Sentinelese man firing at helicopters after a tsunami in 2004, via www.washingtonpost.com) 

In the previous book Exit West  the idea of open borders was presented throughout the book. Today there are many nations that have borders. Although in the EU you are allowed to travel all around within their "territory" so to speak. So ideally what would happen to many places if we did implement this idea? A recent news story truly made me think about this. 

The Sentinelese live in complete isolation on the remote island in the Andaman archipelago, and are thought to have done so for tens of thousands of years. The tribe and their home are protected by Indian law to maintain their way of life and protect them from modern illnesses because they lack immunity.Just more than a dozen people are officially thought to live on the remote island, which about 50 kilometer (31 miles) west of Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, an Indian territory.They represent some of the last people on earth whose way of life remains entirely undisturbed by modern civilization. The island is a protected area, and people are not allowed to go within 5 nautical miles of it, after previous incidents of aggressive behavior toward outsiders were observed. In 2006, two local fishermen were killed by the tribes. Recently they killed an American missionary trying to preach his love of god to them. 

Ideally my question is how could we convert tribes, or individuals who have lived this way for years, to like the concept of open borders? Could that ever happen? 

Tribespeople on North Sentinel Island. Photograph: Dinodia Photos/Alamy

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. 

  

Many people know the overall idea of the Dust Bowl. The fact it lasted for almost a decade, and that it also happened at the time of The Great Depression. The one question I always thought about was what individuals had to live with during the Dust Bowl, and afterwards. With a great amount of research I found out quite a chunk of information.

While reading the Grapes of Wrath, I learned the elderly had quite a hard time with the environment during this time. While researching I found out children in the euro actually had a higher mortality rate compared to the elderly. Pregnant mothers lacked the nutrients for their baby to thrive, which then lead to miscarriages. Even after the dust bowl, women who survived had a large reduction in fertility. Many women gave birth to an average of roughly 0.3 fewer children over their lifetime. On the contrary, women who weren't exposed started the Baby Boom.

Survivors struggled in their later years. These people were two times more likely to experience physical and cognitive disabilities. Also one and a half more times likely to be living below the federal poverty line. Lastly. they were two times less likely to finish college. During that only 15% of American's earned a degree. Which is absolutely crazy to think about! Over 80% of individuals in today's world earn a degree.

The main diseases and sicknesses during this time were measles, strep throat, eye infections, meningitis, asthma and dust pneumonia.  These diseases became very prevalent during the 1930's. Dust pneumonia was a much deadlier disease than modern day pneumonia. Many of the symptoms didn't appear until just before death. A patient would usually have a common fever, which would quickly spike, and attack the body from the inside. The individual would be dead in a matter of hours.

Today many refugees face almost the same problems today. Except many of these illnesses today can be cured easily. The World Health Organization made a great article that describes the illnesses migrants face in great detail.