The article I read was from The New York Times, published April 2nd, 2019. The first half of the article discusses the all-time low of Net migration at the southern border of the United States. The article then attributes this low to the fact that the Trump administration is not only pushing policies that deflect refugees but treats them as invaders. Detention centers have been filling as a result of this, many without the most basic medical needs and living conditions necessary to sustain countless families. The issue is not that the amount of arrivals has gone down, but simply where these policies on “border control” are displacing them.
This is a pattern in countless Western democracies, according to the article, which states, “anti-immigration sentiment is driving demand for harsh policies that may not only fail to reduce arrivals, but to also make the problem look even more uncontrolled and overwhelming” (Fisher & Taub, 2019).
The article then discusses the intrinsic homogenous needs of white people, and their instinct to fear difference and embrace familiarity. The effect of this is the vicious cycle that sends immigrants and refugees to detention centers and other places where they are subjected to mistreatment of all sorts, all for the sake of control being under the guise of “protection.” It discusses the cycle taking place 30 years ago when a border was put up along San Ysidro crossing. This led to an influx of immigrants migrating and crossing Interstate 5, where many families were hit by cars. This led to several yellow traffic signs being put up, depicting a dashing family as “immigrant crossing”. This sparked a nationwide backlash against unauthorized immigration.
The second half of the article discusses the situation in Europe, where they have tightened their borders. This forced many refugees to travel by boat, and many sank. The article then says the fear of allowing refugees in is a psychological movement and natural human defense mechanism.