I’ve heard about the wall and I obviously know about the immigration that goes through, considering my mother walked across the river in 1980 and my handicapped abuelita crossed barefoot some years later. What do I think about the injustice and the illegal activity that goes on at the border of this “wonderful” nation? This nation is great but it is sad to know that it is considered one of the greatest. Every year dozens, hundreds -- no thousands of people walk, sneak, swim, boat ride, risk their lives and the lives of their children to get to this great nation; for a chance to escape their poverty, their hardships, their violence from their home countries, whether it is Korea, the Philippines, Argentina, Brazil, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, or any other country with high poverty rates and poor education systems. Only to be treated like an animal, drown in the high waters, and scarred --emotionally or physically-- for the rest of their lives if they are lucky enough to survive. And its only the destination, the journey is horrible, as well, with rape and robbery. I realize the movies exaggerate the injustice, but every myth, every legend, every exaggeration has at least an ounce of truth.
I realize that this wall is supported by people who want to protect our nation from terrorists but not all immigrants are dangerous. Most come with the intention to give their children better chances; not that most of the young children have a choice because most are brought when they are too young to make the decision for themselves. A lot of the time most of the threats that manage to get through are the ones that The INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) originally deported, sometimes multiples of times. A big reason immigration is looked down on is because of those few experienced and determined threats that give all immigrants a bad name. Ironically, the United Sates was made by immigrants who’s descendants now believe that this land is theirs and has always been theirs which isn't true.Once, I was so naive that the wall was not a an actual place , that it was only a figure of speech. Now I realize that I’m going to see this barrier face-to-face, left to imagine the travesties that have and most likely will occur along it. I can’t describe my feeling as “looking forward to” or “excited” to see this wall, but it is interesting. I imagine seeing a huge impossibly high cement wall. Perhaps barbed wire or chicken wire covering the service and or the top of the wall. I assume it was built to provoke the feeling of losing hope ,of giving up, of losing the confidence of making it over the wall. Maybe I will see a hole or opening somewhere on the wall.I don’t think this experience will change me to another point of view or cause me to change my opinions or the sides I’ve chosen to take. If anything this Wall will only prove to me what I already know and what I choose to believe. This wall was built and continued to be built to stop immigration and the descendants of them, but here I stand on American soil with my friends and family and I will only grow stronger with them by my side as their numbers grow despite this wall.
