In Celia's story, we learn about her journey to escape from her home town in Mexico. She was working in a factory at first. Celia exclaimed to Matt, "All day I sat on an assembly line and put tiny squares into tiny holes with a pair of tweezers. I thought I'd go blind!"(Farmer 141) Celia soon found herself being a cook, and met a 'coyote' who would take her across the border into the United States. However, the coyote abandoned her. They were scavengers, left to live for themselves. The group was captured by the 'farm patrol'. What Celia had gone through to cross the border was not just immigration, but is illegal immigration.
There are two main ways of illegal immigration. One of the biggest ways of illegal immigration is through a visa, which in fact is quite legal. A visa provides a person with a certain amount of time in a country before they must return to their home country. But, people take advantage of this and make this situation illegal. Often people stay long after their visa is expired. The second way to cross the border is quite illegal. Getting someone like a 'coyote' to guide you across the border, like Celia. The journey includes horrendous terrain, and walking for days and days in excruciating weather.
Why would you go through all this pain to cross the border? Why would you risk your life? There are many reasons. Like in Celia's case, she was forced to work in a factory for long hours. Her only option was to get a coyote and get out of there. Sometimes your life in your home country isn't worth it, and you just want to leave. Most people are just seeking a better life for themselves, as we learned in our immigration unit. If you are wanting to live a better life for you and your family, there is always one option of illegal immigration.
If successful enough to make it across the border, an immigrant will experience joy for a bit. But soon, they will realize how hard it is to start a new life. It takes hard work and dedication, but it's possible. But that's not the issue, the most extreme part is keeping your identity hidden. You will be on thin ice, any mistake can result in being deported back to your home country.
http://roygermano.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/how-do-people-immigrate-illegally/
http://www.cfact.org/a/913/Addressing-the-root-causes-of-illegal-immigration
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/illegal-immigrants-with-long-expired-visas-remain-tough-to-track-10-years-after-911-attacks/2012/03/06/gIQAkUQ7tR_story.html
MacGregor. "Three Conservative Bros." Three Conservative Bros. 27 Apr. 2010. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <http://threeconservativebros.wordpress.com/2010/04/27/arizona-immigration-law/>.
You looked at a lot of angles in this post. I really like the information you use to back up and support your ideas- very well done! One idea that you could consider is knowledge. Many people immigrate across the border illegally and risk their lives because they have only heard stories. They don't know the true horrors, and what could actually happen. Maybe many less would risk their lives if they were aware of these aspects. Great job!
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