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The Secure Fence Act
On October 26, 2006, United States President George Bush signed The Secure Fence Act of 2006. The goals of this new law included decreasing illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and threats to national security through increased patrol of the U.S.-Mexico border. Measures to secure the border involve the construction of 700 miles of fencing along parts of the border that are easiest to cross, thereby funneling migrants to the more difficult and dangerous crossing points. Supporters of the bill claim that the construction of the fence and the increase in border patrol officers will force possible migrants to pursue legal immigration to the United States, while also effectively reducing drug trafficking from Mexico to the United States. Opponents of the bill claimed that the construction of the 700 mile wall was either not sufficient, as people could sneak under, around, or over it, or that it was inhumane. In addition to negatively impacting the environment by disturbing migratory patterns of wildlife in the vicinity, the effects on irregular migrants desperate to cross the border have been devastating.
The increase in border patrol agents and the fence are concentrated in the safer crossing points, such that desperate migrants subject themselves to the most dangerous routes in order to cross the border. According to studies of this phenomenon, “migrants crossing the southwest border of the United States risk drowning, deydrationin the southwest desert, and hypothermia in the California mountains” (Hagan, 2008). The popularity of the desert route in parts of Arizona and the increase in immigrant populations in such areas caused politicians to pass SB 1070, or The Support of Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, in 2010. The most notable of the provisions of the act is “the requirement that a police officer ascertain the legal status of anyone stopped if the officer suspects that person might be undocumented” (Provine 2011). The law has been criticized for overstepping federal jurisdiction, as well as encouraging racial profiling as a tool for law enforcement. While SB 1070 does not exactly affect migrants as they are crossing the border, it makes their ability to remain in the United States after crossing. (proofread?)
One important effect of such laws in the United States that attempt to hinder illegal migrants from Mexico is the increase in the cost of hiring a coyote to lead the way. The increased security measures and penalties for coyotes leading people to the United States has caused them to raise their prices. According to recent estimates, the price of a coyote taking two people across the border is $9000 (Hagan 2008). Given the economic difficulties that migrants already face that often lead them to attempt to find work in El Norte, $9000 likely comprises their entire life savings. Even hiring a coyote, however, is no guarantee of success, especially when there are laws like SB 1070 in place to deter and detain irregular migrants. Likewise, it is not a foolproof method for avoiding the dangers of bandits and abuse. One woman who stopped at La Casa del Migrante entered with the coyote her husband had hired to take her to join him in the United States. However, rather than making her way north to the United States, she was returning home through Guatemala because she decided that the journey was too dangerous.
The increase in border patrol agents and the fence are concentrated in the safer crossing points, such that desperate migrants subject themselves to the most dangerous routes in order to cross the border. According to studies of this phenomenon, “migrants crossing the southwest border of the United States risk drowning, deydrationin the southwest desert, and hypothermia in the California mountains” (Hagan, 2008). The popularity of the desert route in parts of Arizona and the increase in immigrant populations in such areas caused politicians to pass SB 1070, or The Support of Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, in 2010. The most notable of the provisions of the act is “the requirement that a police officer ascertain the legal status of anyone stopped if the officer suspects that person might be undocumented” (Provine 2011). The law has been criticized for overstepping federal jurisdiction, as well as encouraging racial profiling as a tool for law enforcement. While SB 1070 does not exactly affect migrants as they are crossing the border, it makes their ability to remain in the United States after crossing. (proofread?)
One important effect of such laws in the United States that attempt to hinder illegal migrants from Mexico is the increase in the cost of hiring a coyote to lead the way. The increased security measures and penalties for coyotes leading people to the United States has caused them to raise their prices. According to recent estimates, the price of a coyote taking two people across the border is $9000 (Hagan 2008). Given the economic difficulties that migrants already face that often lead them to attempt to find work in El Norte, $9000 likely comprises their entire life savings. Even hiring a coyote, however, is no guarantee of success, especially when there are laws like SB 1070 in place to deter and detain irregular migrants. Likewise, it is not a foolproof method for avoiding the dangers of bandits and abuse. One woman who stopped at La Casa del Migrante entered with the coyote her husband had hired to take her to join him in the United States. However, rather than making her way north to the United States, she was returning home through Guatemala because she decided that the journey was too dangerous.