Race

In the reading “Migra”, Hernandez ‘s historical analysis of the Border Patrol and Texas Rangers gives a perspective that not many people know about. The issue of race has been impacting our country since the beginning of the border establishment and Hernandez highlights that issue in her writing. One thing that I think she highlights is the violence and discrimination against Mexicans and other marginalized groups from the US, Border Patrol, and the Texas Rangers establishment.

Several first-hand accounts are given of the violence experienced by Mexicans in the first two chapters of Migra. Hernandez tells about the story of young men who are discriminated against simply because the color of their skin is brown. They were seen as less than human and had no place in America. They were considered illegal just by being on this side of the border without proper investigation.

Unfortunately, I think this sort of discrimination still exists in the US today. Migrants are often questioned about their residency status and for no other reason than for being brown-skinned. This issues of race and discrimination has moved through time as one of the biggest issues.

When the border patrol was formed, they had no clear direction and code to abide by, so they conducted their business without guidance. This led to the radical decisions regarding migration and those who tried to make a life here. This not only included Mexicans, but also included Chinese immigrants and Native Americans. Today, the Border Patrol has more clear-cut expectations, rules about use of force, and limitations on their jurisdictions. Unfortunately, there are still some bad apples that exist within those agencies of today.

Although it is not the main focus of the book, the issues examined in Hernandez’s book gives us an idea of what life was like during those times when the Border Patrol was in its infancy years. We can compare those to current times and figure out the direction current Border Patrol policing can go so that we do not repeat mistakes of the past.

Border development complexities will never completely vanish but with examinations of historical events and settings like the book “Migra”, leaders and policy makers can have a sense of what types of policies can help instead of hurt people that move across the border, police the border, and further enhance immigration so that it is not a negative issue that negatively impacts the country. Hernandez’s writing is one part of a larger framework that can aid our efforts in border development.