Migrating to Prison

What? Building a critical consciousness surrounding immigration and incarceration is important to breaking down false and accusing sign systems are society has created. Garcia-Hernandez provides historical context to convey why our country treats immigrants and LatinX people the way we do. Mexicans came to America with the hope of building a better life for themselves, however, Americans did not want to share resources and jobs with the “other” group. Garcia-Hernandez explains that “the Texas Rangers [the Texas police force] killed so many Mexicans that one newspaper reported that the ‘finding of dead bodies of Mexicans creates little to not interest’…the dead could no longer compete for precious natural resources” (Garcia-Hernandez 40–41). The type of thinking that Mexicans will take our jobs continued even as resources become more available. In mid-May in 2019 President Trump gave a speech about the new immigration program he wants to achieve. At one point he says, “We are proposing an immigration plan that puts the jobs, wages, and safety of American workers first” (whitehouse.gov). Obviously the thought about “Mexicans taking our jobs” is still a very concerning issue for some Americans; so much that it needs to be addressed in a national speech. Trump later goes on to discuss the American dream stating, “It will help all of our people, including millions of devoted immigrants, to achieve the American Dream” (whitehouse.gov). However, the American Dream is often achievable for immigrants because of the thinking Garcia-Hernandez explains. LatinX people can work as hard as they possibly can but with the dominant group and systemic racism, accomplishing even the simplest of tasks becomes difficult. Society has thought this certain way for centuries which is why it is important for people to develop critical consciousness now to try and create a better and more equal future.

Garcia-Hernandez also discusses the Bracero Program and gives some personal context as his grandfather was part of the suffering and inequity the Mexican workers faced. The Bracero Program was an agreement between the United States and Mexico during World War II. Since most young men were fighting in the war, Mexican workers came to temporarily take their place and started to work in fields and other manual labor jobs. In theory, it was meant for young Latinos to come to America to make similar money that the regular workers made so they were able to make money instead of staying at home in poverty. However, the US basically left the workers to their specific employer. With poorly enforced regulations, the employers paid the workers whatever they wanted, which ended up being not much at all and had restrictions on basic human necessities such as water and a bathroom. Over 2 million people came from Mexico to work and at one point made up a little over half of the American workforce. Even though many wanted to stay temporarily, a large portion of the Mexican workers ended up staying in the US and people continued to migrate. David Rodriguez was a successful chef in Houston but was almost deported for a simple crime. He and his girlfriend, Vanessa, were going home one night when two drunk men threatened Vanessa. Rodriguez proceeded to hit the men with a baseball bat in order to protect her. This act would be considered self-defense and a heroic act if Rodriguez was white but since he wasn’t it was under threat of deportation and convicted of assault. He sat in jail for months until it was decided that his sentence was too harsh for his actions and was then given a misdemeanor. This is just one example of many people who have done very minor illegal actions and have almost been or actually been deported and ripped away from their families. Everyone makes mistakes and steps out of line sometimes but if someone is an immigrant they are immediately labeled as “illegal” and deported whereas if that person was white they would receive a very light punishment. It is extremely important for us to start building a critical consciousness because the entire system of immigration and deportation causes inequity and is making us step backward instead of forward. We need to analyze crimes more carefully instead of slapping “safety hazard” on someone when they really haven’t done anything wrong. Just because someone is not born in the US or does not look like the rest of us doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be treated like a human being.

So What? American Exceptionalism is basically just US society knowing and accepting that we “other” certain groups. This term implies that we fully are aware that there is a dominant and subordinate group but have no intention of changing anything. The word “exceptional” is usually used in a positive context such as “You did an exceptional job on this paper” and this common use seems to be sugarcoating the term’s actual meaning in this specific context. The true definition of exceptional is unusual or not typical which is the definition used in “American Exceptionalism”. This idea of exceptionalism could directly affect the students I work with at Canal Alliance. Since most of the students are between 18–25 drugs such as marijuana may be prevalent in their lives. However, if a white kid were to be caught with marijuana they would get a minor consequence but if one of my students were caught with it, they could be threatened with deportation because they are “exceptional”. Garcia-Hernandez stated that something as simple as driving without a driver’s license could result in ICE detainment for an immigrant whereas someone belonging to society’s dominant party would get a gentle reminder. I have definitely forgotten my driver's license before and so have my students probably. The difference in punishment and the severity of people’s actions are solely based on skin color and if they are technically “supposed to be here” or not.

Now What? Canal Alliance works very hard to try and counter dehumanization in the community of the Canal. In general, our society expects immigrants to be perfect and not make any mistakes and if someone does make a mistake they are forced to leave no matter how small the mistake. Like Stevenson said in his interview, our justice system serves rich white people. No matter how large the mistake, if someone has money and is white they got off with a slap on the wrist. However, if one of my students, for example, makes an error the justice system will come down hard. Canal Alliance is aware of the double standards that are placed upon immigrants and tries to help the students. On the very first day, I was helping the class, one person told them to not drink and drive and do not even have alcohol in their car. Knowing what I do now from the readings, it is because if one of my students was caught with alcohol in their car they would be arrested and their actions were taken out of proportion and therefore very seriously which could result in detainment and/or deportation. I have encountered some dehumanizing of LatinX people. Back at home, I was with a friend at the mall and there were a few other girls around our age. They were in line to check out in front of us and there were two people at the registers working. One was LatinX with a little bit of an accent and one was white. The girls in front of us said something to the effect of “I want to check out with the [white] guy, not that other one. He might steal some of my change.” The other girl laughed but my friend and I were in shock. It is very possible that the girls didn’t actually know what they were talking about and are ignorant about the subject and are just regurgitating their parents’ thoughts. The fact that she called him “that other one” floored me. That phrase completely dehumanizes the LatinX cashier and instead of saying “that guy” or “the other guy” she said “that other one” meaning it doesn’t even sound like she was referring to a human being. Canal Alliance employees and volunteers see the students as people with value and personality and not “other ones” which I think is important. They are just the beginning of the change in thoughts that our society should have and value.