Faces of Death: Realities and Images of Illegal Immigration - Instablogs
Faces of Death: Realities and Images of Illegal Immigration
Oscar , Oaxaca: Feb 17 2009
Made Popular Feb 17 2009
Mexico :

Faces of Death: Realities and Images of Illegal Immigration

Imagine being so desperate for a better life, a smidgen of golden opportunity, you’d be willing to risk it all. Imagine your entire extended family: aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, poverty stricken, selling everything they have to give one member of the family a second chance at life. Imagine giving everything, including your soul to a coyote, a human trafficker, with dreams of making it to the land of opportunity: The United States of America; imagine that same coyote, after taking your money, leaving you helpless in an unforgiving desert or locked in an abandoned airtight semi-trailer with dozens of other migrants to suffocate while baking under the scorching hot Mexican sun.

Faces of Death: Realities and Images of Illegal Immigration

This is the end product of the American Dream for hundreds of Mexican migrants who pay human traffickers to cross them illegally into the United States.

The desert heat is so intense; the skin of these corpses literally cooks and breaks apart, leaving an empty hollow shell. You can see her spinal column still resting in her neck. She most likely died of dehydration… yet she was found just a few yards away from a water tank. These coyotes are only concerned with moving on and getting from point A to point B and the caravan doesn’t stop for anyone.

Faces of Death: Realities and Images of Illegal Immigration

Millions of Mexicans, Central, and South Americans have attempted to illegally cross over the southern border into California, Arizona, and Texas. But many of them never make it through alive.

Faces of Death: Realities and Images of Illegal Immigration

The above picture is called a layup. As you can see trash, persoanl belongings, and clothing are discarded everywhere. What you can’t see are the women’s and girl’s underwear everywhere, literally everywhere.

What was missing? Men’s underwear. Why?

Women and girls have to defend themselves against more than just the weather. Coyotes are notorious for raping, even gang raping, the women and leaving them for dead. Rape Trees, trophy trees with branches adorned with scores of women’s panties, can be found along the coyote paths, their bloodstains are left in the dirt.

Faces of Death: Realities and Images of Illegal Immigration

These are images that pro-immigration organizations on both sides of the border don’t want you to see.

Everyone has a different story for crossing the border. Some cross for work, to feed their families back in Mexico where earning a living is a constant, brutal, daily struggle. Can you blame them? These Mexican coyotes , who more ofton than not work fo drug cartels, charge thousands in fees to bring human cargo across the border. And sometimes, American companies are footing that bill. These coyotes don’t really care if someone falls behind or runs out of water as they were paid their fee. They are not forced to guarentee delivery; dead or alive.
Faces of Death: Realities and Images of Illegal Immigration

Mexico must change. We must protect and support our own. We must do away with clinging to an American Dream and work diligently, night and day, in creating our own Mexican Dream, which offers education, employment, and security for all of our faithful citizens.

Although the combined effects of the economic crisis and the new border wall are decreasing the number of immigrants attempting to cross illegally, it is still happening.

Faces of Death: Realities and Images of Illegal Immigration

Support enforcement, not descrimination nor racism. Support bilateral immigration reform, not gun toting vigilante militants. Support life, not death by the hand of drug dealing cartels human trafficking. Support humanity.

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2 Stars
David
Denver, United States
Ultimately, the best way to solve the problem of people from Mexico from coming to the United States illegally is for the Mexican economy to be improved. Illegal immigrants only want opportunity to earn a living just like the rest of us, if they can do that in their own country, they’ll happily stay home.
1 Stars
Oscar
Oaxaca, Mexico
Absolutly. President Calderon has initiated many new programs attempting to curve the immigration problem at present and future:

One very important issue is our children of Mexico..There are so many who do not have access to education: elementary or above. New educational standards have been implemented (and plans to enforce the current standards). New educational plantels arebeing created in our most rural areas and all access thech/vocational schools are opening across the nation for advanced post- secondary continued education.

Money is being injected to boost existing business, agricultural, and micro empresas in the poorest areas of the south where migrantion is not only ”high”, but at many times depletes entire communities of it’s men aged 17 and over..

There is so much to tackle, but at least, finally, we have a President, although not perfect, who is willing to face realities.
2 Stars
Jason
Richmond, United States
I'm not against immigration at all. I'm all for it. We need an influx of immigrants from other countries to maintain our economy, make no doubt about it. The problems arise when people disobey the laws and feel justified in doing so and when tidal waves of immigrants flow in and are unable to contribute enough to society to make it worth them being here.
1 Stars
Oscar
Oaxaca, Mexico
I agree 100%. Countries CAN and DO thrive with immigration, everyone has a purpose..but ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is not the answer.

Unfortunately, for so long, our bilateral governments have not only turned blind eye to the issue, but ”promoted it”, causing the weakening of social, economic, and family structure accross the board, north to south.

Immigration will never and should never be STOPPED, per se..but illegal immigration must be addressed..There are so many horrific secondary effects that are not being dealt with.. We must, Mexico and the United States, created reforms to assure security, regulations, and progress to all involved.
2 Stars
Lynne K
Sydney, Australia
These pictures are horrible but what is being done about it, anything?

The national poverty and human suffering must be immense and tragic.

These poor People who have nothing left took the chance for opportunities and a better life, or else they wouldn’t have had to leave their homeland and families.
I hope the Mexican people can create their own dream by uniting and start by getting rid of their own terrorists with in.
It’s an international human disgrace for both these countries. The governments should be ashamed and start doing something to clean up these coyotes and contribute positively towards Mexico so the people can stay at home and not have to risk their lives, just to survive.
1 Stars
Oscar
Oaxaca, Mexico
Yes Ms. Lynne they are HORRIBLE.

Many feel, as a Mexican I should be rooting for pro-immigration and I DO; to those who CHOOSE to migrate to the North, not those who are being FORCED into hell by lack of proper socioeconomic structure and opportunity in our own country.

We as a nation, MUST provide for our own. New programs are being created, old programs are being revamped, but we must be consistant and diligent..

We must focus on all levels and see to the future as well, bettering education and creating educational instiutues in our poorest, rural areas...Many children have not a chance from BIRTH. The are born into poverty and will never be educated, as they are needed to help with family finance from as young as age 5, be it by begging, helping plant small crops, or other.

Coyotes should be treated and condemned for what they are: Murderers..

and we, Mexico, must stand up and take blame for the suffering,be it by death in a desert or ripping families apart as loved ones are FORCED to search for ways to feed their families, of millions of OUR OWN, our blood.

There will never come a time, when immigration will cease to exist and it doesn’t need to..but NO ONE SHOULD BE FORCED to sell their souls to SURVIVE..
2 Stars
Lynne K
Sydney, Australia
It good now a days that these terrible things are exposed to the world, making governments accountable.
I agree Immigration should be a choice, for both the country and the people, not acts of desperation.
I hope Mexico has great success in ridding themselves of these vile murderers that are holding your country’s progress back, the children deserve a better future.
2 Stars
Oscar
Oaxaca, Mexico
Our children deserve an opportunity, a MEXICAN dream. They deserve a Mexico which stands on it’s own two feet: fostering education, hard work, family value, and respect; a Mexico our future generations can be proud of.
2 Stars
Lynne K
Sydney, Australia
Hi Oscar
one of my son’s spent 3 months traveling around Latin America and was deeply touched by the warmth and hospitiality given to him by people who had nothing, yet they were generous.

He loved them and learnt to speak the language, he has fond memories of his travels.
I was just grateful to have him home again :)
1 Stars
Oscar
Oaxaca, Mexico
Lynne:
funny, that’s more or less how I met my wife.

Her family actually sponsered a girl exchange student for a year when she was a young girl. When the girl graduated U.S. high school and returned to Mexico after her year, her family invited my wife’s family.

From there, my wife began visiting Mexico with her ”sister” during summer vacations. I met her on one of her visits, she had just turned 14 and was going to school with her Mexican girlfriends to listen in on classes instead of sitting home to wait for them.

Almost 23 years later, we are still together, with 3 children.

The joke is she crossed the Rio Bravo swimming the backstroke.
2 Stars
I very loved it where u said ur for the ”Mexican Dream”...I think that in order for us to stop seeing other countries as a ”rosy dream” in comparison to ours, we need to work hard to make our countries better places.

I always say that I would leave Jordan to study, but never to WORK, I think my country deserves what I have to give...
1 Stars
Oscar
Oaxaca, Mexico
Hi Wa’d..
I’m so glad to see you!

We are, or at least should be, one with our nation..Like any family, there will always be good and BAD..

We as citizens must remember that we are capable of changing our ”destiny”, but we MUST fight to create change, we must INSIST, we must work:

As JFK said ” Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

I understand why so many leave, risking their lives, but if they would only stay and HELP us to create change..The more people go, the less our country feels a need for such reform...WE NEED THEM, EVERYONE ONE OF THEM.

I was born here, although I may wander, my choice is to die here, in MY Mexico among my people.
2 Stars
Lynne K
Sydney, Australia
Oscar
it is such a small world indeed, its a lovely story about your family.
My son visited his friend who had met and married a native girl over there, then stayed.
He did have some frightening experiences too because he was so very naive’ at the time.
I was relieved when my son came back home, he did say the girls were gorgeous :) and he wants to go back again one day, he’s still single so who knows.
1 Stars
Oscar
Oaxaca, Mexico
One day he will be able to return, safely ...from there, who knows, he may fall in love.
2 Stars
Lynne K
Sydney, Australia
If all the decent Mexican people feel the same way you do and put their hearts, heads & hands together for your childrens sake and their future, Mexico just has to rise from the ashes.
It has to come from within and it looks like it is starting to happen, but I think it will probably be a difficult process for a while but well worth it.
1 Stars
Oscar
Oaxaca, Mexico
I am quite sure of it being a difficult process and in all honesty, I predict it to worsen before ever getting better, but there are alot of US, who are willing to bare the weight to create a new foundation for our country..

Nothing worthwhile is ever easy.My country has survived worse, through out history, we will survive this as well..

The trick is not only surviving but rising above, learning from histrory and changing..That is what we want, that is what we would willingly die for; Change for our children.
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