By viewing all those who enter our country illegally as nefarious invaders to be severely and brutally dealt with instead of as mostly desperate people who should be treated humanely --like we ourselves would wish to be treated-- we have created a whole new underworld of violence and corruption. This is the same path that the US took in the handling of drug usage and drug addiction.
As enforcement on the border shifts the flood of drugs and people shifts from place to place. By concentrating on strong arm tactics and draconian punishments the US makes the transportation of drugs and people increasingly profitable for criminals and corrupt officials.
The Arizona Daily Star reports [Armed smugglers fighting it out --Traffickers using corridor to avert law enforcement by Brady McCombs]:
The drug runners, or burreros, or aren't alone on the trails, either. Armed ripoff teams, or bajadores, have become increasingly brazen in the past two years in their attempts to steal loads of drugs and people from smugglers.
"They rip off each other; they shoot at each other; the stakes are higher now," said Lt. Raul Rodriguez, commander of criminal investigations for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office. "With more enforcement, surveillance, you are going to create a lot more activity."
Four murders and nine attempted homicides have occurred on the smuggling trails in the area in the past two years, including a recent surge of activity in the Aliso Springs area west of Tubac, Rodriguez said.
The above article reports on the violence around Tubac which is about 40 miles south of Tucson. In February a lethal attack on immigrants took place on the northwest side of Tucson itself [AZ Daily Star: 3 die in NW Side attack against illegal entrants by Dale Quinn].
When I travel on I10 between Tucson and KOFA National Wildlife Reserve I often pulloff at one particular exit where I can conveniently park the camper, have lunch and let the dogs walk around a bit. At that pulloff there is a dirt road that heads south and a sign at the beginning of the road that warns about possible dangers as that is, or was(?), one of the routes north from the border.
I'm not suggesting that we don't need to have legal procedures for entering the country and enforce them. But I am stating that the methods and contradictory policies we put in place, both official and unofficial, are not rational and do not provide for a safe, lawful and democratic environment.
That is they are not rational if a safe, lawful and democratic country is the goal.
If, however, the goal is an ever increasing investment in law enforment, ever increasing prison populations, ever increasing violence, ever increasing corruption then the plan is working very well. As with the war on drugs, the actions and policies in the US war on illegal entrants do not accomplish their purported objectives.
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