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Gladys Carbajal Aguilar

English 1T

Susie Huerta

19 March 2018

Unwanted

“Corre, Corre !!” would yell the coyotes. These were some of the brief words I remember

from a journey many don't forget. Coming from one of the most violent countries in the

world--Honduras, at the age of 6 forever shaped my perspectives on immigrants as a whole. As

our nation grows economically, culturally, and so forth, as a population residing in the US we

should adjust to the needs of those immigrants to see how it is we can improve not just their lives

but each others.

Valeria Luiselli a Mexican-American author tells us about her experiences as a translator

interpreting the lives of many refugee immigrant kids seeking asylum here in the US in her book

“Tell Me How It Ends An Essay In Forty Questions”. Luiselli explains her perspective through

the top 40 questions asked in a questionnaire to see whether these kids are eligible for asylum.

Through those 40 questions Luiselli inputs her opinion on why these kids should be granted

some sort of asylum. Many children go through treacherous journeys and for what ? Just to come

to the United States and get dehumanized by those who don't want them here, or who think they

are far more superior because of a piece of paper that says their legal status. Tensions between

American Citizens and immigrants is due to tensions built up by this very own country. Because

of the history and relation between the US and Mexican and Northern Triangle Countries,

migrant children should be granted some form of asylum or protection in the US. We have all
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seen in the news that immigration policies is an issue and continues to be an even bigger issue as

this nation grows.

However in order to acknowledge the bigger problem going on in the Northern Triangle

countries, we must find out the root of where they first started. According to The Center for

Justice and Accountability who specialize in the pursuit of justice from crimes, and human right

abuses mention that the root of the problems in many Northern Triangle countries ( Honduras, El

Salvador, Guatemala, etc ) has always been land. These countries are able to produce many

resources like the cocoa beans, plantains, and many other things that Europeans or other

countries might not be able to. The involvement of the US government and what broke the bond

they had built with the Salvadoran government wasn't their involvement with trying to get land.

It was all in trying to get the leftists party ( campesinos ) to go against the right side party ( elite,

military ). In this case we see that even though it wasn't about land, it always comes down to

something and in this case it was all about politics. The US had always aided the Salvadoran

government however an event that drew the line for this government was when four American

church women were raped and killed by military and paramilitary Salvadoran forces. That is

when President Carter decided to cut aid to El Salvador. However, “U.S. policy took a dramatic

shift with the election of President Ronald Reagan in 1980. Asserting a hemispheric-wide

national security strategy, the Reagan administration considered the Salvadoran government–its

atrocities notwithstanding–a friend in the Cold War… When the FMLN ( Farabundo Marti

National Liberation ) launched an all-out attack on the government on January 10, 1981, the

United States came to the Salvadoran government’s assistance and provided them with

substantial military aid and advisors.” Essentially the US thought they were being of help by
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providing many Salvadoran people with weapons to defend themselves, but they basically gave

them the tools to destroy themselves. Although the US “aided” El Salvador in times when it was

in crisis, it was only beneficial to them because they saw this as an opportunity to further their

political influence amongst the leftists party which is made up of lower income groups Which

leads onto the birth of MS13. Many of the people that migrated from El Salvador were

traumatized by the events in the Civil war of their country. Many were defensive young adults

who came with fear, trauma, and the need to protect each other. MS13 originated in Los Angeles,

the place of the bloods and crips. Since many young people migrated to Los Angeles during the

time of the civil war in order to escape the extreme violence there, many felt the need to create

this gang in order to protect themselves from other gangs. They created a familia. A familia

made to protect ones another at whatever cost.

As Americans we have to inform ourselves on the history of why many of these kids

choose to migrate to the US. These refugee kids go through problems and traumas that no kid

should ever go through. By informing and explaining these problems to Americans it would

cause a shift in perspectives towards them and why they should be considered for asylum. Many

get three choices. You either join the gang (voluntarily). Get killed. If not get forced to join the

gang and if you refuse, your whole family is persecuted. Like Luiselli mentions, “And perhaps

the only way to grant any justice -- were that even possible -- is by hearing recording those

stories over and over again so that they come back” ( Luiselli 30 ). Luiselli emphasizes the

danger of normalizing the horror and violence these immigrants face. By continuously saying

these stories we are bringing awareness to others and exposing them in ways we can educate

each other. Another specific story she mentions in her book that should resonate with many is the
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story of a Honduran boy who was running with his friend from MS 13 members who wanted to

beat them up, and as he looked back his friend had been shot. No person should ever see their

best friend or anyone die in such a cruel manner. As Americans we have gotten so used to

normalizing the violence and horror around us and being comfortable as long as our skin is not

being put on fire. When in reality we should care about these refugee kids being granted an

opportunity at another shot at life here in the US. Adding unto this just like the US and Northern

Triangle countries have had their fair share in creating these problems for future generations to

find solutions to. As previously mentioned the US has had its fair share in providing El Salvador

with the tools to destroy itself, just like many of these countries have created their own tools.

In order for relations between these countries to be better the US must take ownership

and take the lead and acknowledge how it has damaged these countries leading many to migrate.

Although many politicians, conservatives, and even U.S citizens might oppose this idea and say

that the U.S has done nothing but help these countries in times when they were most suffering,

they did. But they were also the reason many of these countries suffered in the first place. The

U.S has implemented many programs that helped Northern Triangle countries. For example, the

TPS programs also known as Temporary Protected Status was implemented to help certain

countries that had suffered from armed conflict or natural disasters, such as the Haitians when

many received it because of the 2010, 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Another example is DACA --

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival. Which was granted to those who came to the US at a

young age and granted the opportunity to work, and go to school. Although all these forms have

helped, they have all been temporary and under the Trump Administration they are under

jeopardy to getting removed permanently. Therefore there needs to be other ways in which a
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permanent form is established that either guarantees full asylum here in the US or creates a

pathway towards citizenship for many of these kids and immigrants. In order to move forward in

this process the US must lead by example, like Luiselli says in her text, “It would surely be a

step forward for our governments to officially acknowledge the hemispheric dimensions of the

problem, acknowledge the connection between such phenomena as the Drug wards, gangs in

Central America and the united states, the consumption of drugs, and the massive migration of

children from the Northern Triangle to the united states through Mexico. No one, or almost none,

from producers to consumers, is willing to accept their role in the great theater of devastation of

these childrens lives.To refer to the situation as a hemispheric war would be a step forward

because it oblige us to rethink the very language surrounding the problem, and, in doing so,

imagine potential directions for combined policies” (86). In this Luisell emphasizes the

importance in recognize the naming the many causes of the problems. The US leading by

example has to recognize that the causes create “hemispheric war” because when the leader

recognizes its faults its followers follow. Therefore these kids are technically considered

refugees and should be granted asylum because many are stuck in a war they didn't create.

Immigrants are the future of this country, they always have, always will be. Therefore

these kids should be granted asylum instead of being seen like a burden but rather an asset.

Immigrants are the hardest group of working people. Being an immigrant myself, I am living

proof of the brightness of this future. Tying this back to my previous claim. Although the US has

caused a lot of harm to these countries, nothing can cause more harm than the removal of

DACA, although many politicians and tax payers may see this program as a burden, it is

completely false! the DACA program has helped in the advancement of our economy, education
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and more. Many of the kids under this program are promising students that bring a lot to the

table. The loss of this program would not benefit the states, According to the American Progress

a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization they mention in their article “A

new threat to DACA could cost states Billions of Dollars” that the states should really reconsider

in removing this program, and instead look to invest more into it and create some sort of path so

that these kids have the opportunity to contribute much more to society, economy, and

government. Adding unto this, according to a report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic

Policy ( ITEP ) they mention that “An estimated 11 million undocumented residents pay about

eight percent of their incomes in state and local taxes every year… they pay billions of dollars,

and their contributions would be much greater if some sort of reform or pathway to citizenship

was granted.” The giant flow of these kids should not be seen as a burden but rather be seen as

an asset in how they are bettering our country, not just them but the people coming along with

them.

By understanding the history of why these kids choose to flee their countries it should

change our perspectives on how we view them, and when the US decides to step it up and take

ownership that's when the real change will be seen. But through all the conflicts and problems

that many face at an early age, and migrating to a country that's not even their own, they should

have the right to be granted something in order to feel safe in place that's not their own.
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Works Cited

● Haggarty, Richard A. ​El Salvador: A Country Study​, Ed.Federal Research Division,

Library of Congress, November 1988.

● Luiselli, Valeria, and Lizzie Davis. ​Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay In Forty Questions​.

4th Estate, 2017.

● Passel, Jeffrey S., and D’Vera Cohn. “Unauthorized Immigrant Population, National and

State Trends, 2010.” ​Pew Hispanic​, Pew Research Center, 1 Feb. 2011,

● Svajlenka, Nicole Prchal, et al. “A New Threat to DACA Could Cost States Billions of

Dollars.” ​Center for American Progress​, 21 July 2017,

● “Undocumented Immigrants' State & Local Tax Contributions.” ​ITEP​,

● El Salvador: War, Peace, and Human Rights, 1980-1994, Special Collection, The

National Security Archive, December 1996.