//HANNAH JENKINS//

Hay un crisis en la frontera suroeste. A crisis for Americans. Una crisis para los inmigrantes que entran en los Estados Unidos también. As of February around 66,450 immigrants were apprehended at the southwest border. En marzo de 92.607 los inmigrantes fueron aprehendido (source). The total number of immigrants apprehended at the southwest border in 2019 is 207,475, a significant number considering the total number of apprehensions in the entirety of 2018 was 396,579 (source). ¿Por qué? Why are so many immigrants coming to the U.S.?  ¿Cómo? How is the U.S. going to fix this problem? ¿Qué? What consequences will come as a result of the U.S. taking action on these immigrants?

Why are so many people coming to the U.S.? La respuesta es no fácil. “Our [America’s]  southern border is a pipeline for illegal drugs.” said President Donald Trump in a Address to the Nation, “In the last two years ICE officers had made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records, including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 violent killings.” (source). ¿Son todos los inmigrantes criminales o traficantes de drogas? Absolutely not.  About one of every three immigrants are asylum seekers from either Honduras, El Salvador, or Guatemala. These immigrants are searching to escape poverty, gang recruitment, and a corrupt government (source).

How is the U.S. going to fix this problem? President Trump has tried to get congress to approve over $5 billion in order to fund a wall across the U.S. border.  Congreso no le dio a Trump la cantidad total de dinero que quería, pero el Congreso dio alrededor de $1,4 mil millones para financiar la seguridad fronteriza (source). Recently, President Trump has talked about getting rid of America’s asylum system. “Oh, give him asylum — he’s afraid, he’s afraid!” Trump said. “We don’t love the fact that he’s got tattoos on his face; that’s not a good sign. We don’t love the fact that he’s carrying the flag of Honduras or Guatemala or El Salvador, only to say he’s petrified to be in his country.” (source).  Two weeks ago, Trump made a threat against Mexico regarding immigration: “…Mexico has made a fortune off the U.S., far greater than Border Costs. If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop all illegal immigration into the U.S. through the southwest border, I will be closing the border, or large sections of the border, next week.” said Trump in a tweet made on Mar. 29, 2019 (source; source). México ha sido más agresivo en detener la inmigración. Trump has since retracted his threat, however now Trump threatens a 25% tariff on cars made in Mexico if apprehension on immigrants goes down, Trump also says that he will bring back his threat of closing the border (source).

What consequences will come as a result of the U.S. taking action on immigrants? If President Trump acts on his threat of closing the southern border America would face extreme economic consequences. Around $1.7 billion of goods and service flow across the southern border everyday, closing the border would mean America would be deprived of these goods and services. “Most of us in the trade business thought terminating Nafta would be quite a body blow, but what Trump is talking about now, shutting the southern border, would be catastrophic,” said Gary Hufbauer, a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, in an interview with the New York Times (source). Getting rid of the U.S.’s asylum system also creates a huge threat for those looking to escape danger in their home country. “Since our founding, this country has been a place of refuge — a safe haven for people fleeing tyranny, oppression and violence,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said. “[Trump’s] words show a total disregard of the Constitution, our justice system, and what it means to be an American.” (source).

La crisis migratoria es muy difícil. What is right? ¿Qué está pasando? The only way any progress can be made between the U.S. and immigrants is for both sides to reach a mutual understanding that the situation is not black and white. No todos los inmigrantes son malos pero no todos los inmigrantes son buen. The U.S. closing the southern border not only punishes Mexico, it also punishes Ameican citizens economically. The U.S. can’t allow every immigrant seeking asylum into the country, however they shouldn’t get rid of the entire asylum system.  La inmigración ha aumentado, meaning the U.S.’s understanding of immigrants and immigration as a whole must also increase.