How far is too far: Immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border

There continues to be turmoil around the topic of immigration. Although the U.S. laws of immigration are in place for the protection of its citizens and a general quota established on the basis of nationality, this does not mean the U.S. should block out those who want to migrate in search of a better life, not only for themselves but their families as well.

It’s especially exhausting for those seeking asylum due to the long-awaited application process. U.S. officials have restricted applications through the Chaparral port in Tijuana to between 40 and 100 per day.

On Nov. 25, U.S. agents closed a major border entry point between the U.S. and Mexico for approximately five hours and fired tear gas at migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. from Tijuana, Mexico. Many of the migrants had been part of a caravan of Central American asylum-seekers and were protesting the slow pace with which the U.S. had been processing asylum claims. Seeking asylum means asking the U.S. to accept migrants – legally – because of persecution one is facing within the home country.

San Ysidro, the port of entry in question, is the busiest land border crossing the Western Hemisphere. With 70,000 people crossing in cars and 20,000 by foot, an average of 90,000 pass north through the port every day. On Nov. 25, more than 5,000 migrants from Central America, including families with small children, reached the border town of Tijuana. Many fleeing from areas of gang violence and ongoing political crisis. Migrants hoped to seek asylum and, instead, were met with tear gas.

President Donald Trump has the legal power to shut down ports of entry. Crossing the border illegally is a misdemeanor; for a person who has already been deported once, it is a felony. Both types of crimes are currently being prosecuted with no exceptions, even if a person later requests asylum. However, seeking asylum at a port of entry is not a crime.

Due to mass immigration after the first World War, Congress responded with a new immigration policy known as the origins quota system. The national origins system numerically limited immigration for the first time in the U.S. history. Each nationality received a quota based on its representation in past U.S. census figures. At that time, the State Department distributed a limited number of visas each year and the Immigration Service only admitted immigrants who arrived with a valid visa.

Migrant families and children flee third-world countries for several reasons. The most common reason is to flee from corruption, crime, and poverty. Some of them seek political asylum, while others come for better economic opportunities.

Mexico’s immigration officials are trying to help the migrants from South America with a place to eat and sleep while they wait to be processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They have been offering people who are vulnerable, such as families with children, the opportunity to be admitted into shelters. Many migrants said they have no money and could only rely on the kindness of strangers for food. These people are being treated more humanely in Tijuana – a city that is known for violence – than the U.S.

Although it began as a peaceful protest on Nov. 25, a group of migrants got past Mexican federal police, found their way to a chain-link fence, and started pushing up against the fence. U.S. agents began firing tear gas into the entire crowd. Photos from the scene showed American patrol agents firing tear gas at an unarmed crowd including children, reinforcing horror over the way the U.S. is treating immigrants from Mexico and South America. Families with children, including those far from the fence, felt the effects of tear gas.

President Trump defended the use of tear gas at the border, stating that the gas used was very safe and a very minor form of teargas. Contradictory to what the President claimed, journalists at the scene said the tear gas was painful even from a significant distance away. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that tear gas can cause a burning sensation in the eyes and mouth, shortness of breath, and burns or rashes. The Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of tear gas in war but allows it for domestic law enforcement purposes.

Trump is not the only president to use tear gas at the border. While President Barack Obama was still in office, tear gas was used at least once a month. U.S. Customs and Border Protection deployed teargas 26 times in fiscal 2012 and 27 times in 2013. The use of teargas dropped after that but then was deployed three more times in 2016.

Seriously though, how far is too far? Everyone can see the trauma brought upon immigrants and their children. In a case where teargas is not even allowed to be used in war, then it should not be used at a peaceful protest. On the other hand, it is fortunate that U.S. agents fired tear gas and not bullets because President Trump has authorized the use of lethal force to stop migrants who attempt to enter the country if they “have to.”

There are other non-violent ways of diffusing a situation. An alternative way to handle the situation is to offer food and shelter to migrants while they wait for their application to be processed, create more processing centers for Border Patrol, and send out more Spanish-speaking agents to communicate with migrants to help calm down protesters. Show some efforts of humanity toward those who are struggling in search of a better life before resorting to showing of force.