Devils Highway
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Immigration Policy has been a topic of discussion for a long time now. Those who immigrate illegally are criticized by the public and the media. Media will display information such as job availability and economic issues. With the criticism and horrific information broadcasted, people identify automatically that these immigrants are “bad guys”. People hear uncultured rumors on a daily basis about the Border Patrol; some may be true but most are not. In The Devils Highway, Luis Alberto Urrea complicates the idea of illegal immigration by presenting the backstories of the Walkers, Border Patrol, and other groups.
The media tends to focus on the negative stereotypes of immigration rather than focusing on the true motives. Throughout The Devils Highway, Urrea explains the personal issues of those who are walking and the reasoning behind it. All the men that traveled in the desert were fathers, brothers, and sons. They had loved ones in hope of returning to them with money and new things from America. One man, Enrique Landeros Garcia decided to take this journey for his son Alexis who was ready for school but the family did not have enough money to pay for tuition. Enrique took this trip in hope, “to pay for a more straightforward chance at a future.” (Urrea 52) A father and son planned to go north to earn money for a new roof top as a gift for his wife. Most of walkers reasons for crossing the border were unselfish. Mario Castillo Fernandez knew him and his wife were going to have more children, and with the cost of tuition already high with two children, “he added his name to the list.” (Urrea 53) These men were already all dedicated workers. It did not help that Mexicos economy dropped. Once Mexicos economy dropped due to the collapse of coffee prices and the Chinese working for cheaper labor, the United States seemed better and better with job opportunities. Therefore these men took the risk of crossing the border illegally with the help of the Coyotes. They are willing to walk a hundreds of miles in soaring heat to make it to the U.S. and do whatever it takes to earn money and return home. All these men want is a better life style. The walkers should not be considered the “bad guys” when all they are looking to do is earn money, build a healthier life style for their family and achieve the American Dream.
The stereotypes given to Immigrants often gets confused with who the Coyotes are. Coyotes are the people who guide the walkers through the desert for a fee. They could care less about the walkers as long as they get their money. If someone drops dead, they do not care, they will continue to walk the journey. In the eyes of the Coyotes, immigrants are just business. Coyotes are characterized as theses selfish human beings. Coyotes actually do business with the Mexican army, “The Mexican Army patrols the borderlands, sort of, though nobody can find them, probably because