Dear Mr. Trump,

This video was created in my hometown, Grand Rapids, MI.  It features the story of an immigrant in the wake of Mr. Donald Trump's vociferous views on a need for tougher immigration policies.  Take a minute to check it out.

A Little Sarcasm for Your Enjoyment

My late great-grandfather was an undocumented resident who traveled illegally to the United States from the Netherlands in hopes of a better life.  If he hadn't come here, he wouldn't have met my great-grandmother, who birthed my grandfather, who met my grandmother, who birthed my mother, who birthed me.  So... he made the world an amazing place by coming to the US illegally.

This is why I'm pro-immigration.

New Texas Law

"More than 1,000 immigrants have died in the Rio Grande Valley since 2005, the majority of whose bodies remain unidentified, because local authorities lack the resources to investigate their deaths and to extract their DNA."

There will finally be some closure for families who have no idea what happened to their loved ones.  There will finally be a funeral, a burial, a service of mourning.

However, can we just take a few minutes and take in that number? 1000 UNIDENTIFIED migrants.  That does not include the migrants who died with IDs or whose bodies were identified.  10 years.  That's 100 unidentified bodies every year.

That's on us, America.  Our programs for visas are inadequate.  Our paperwork is lengthy, strict and has a process attached to it.  It has been made nearly impossible to complete legally.  And then, we have NGOs out placing water while the border guards cut open the jugs.  It's like a game to them.

It's time to wake up and start taking this problem seriously.  Donald Trump has some ideas for a wall.  There is already a wall in place.  Others say that migrants should go through the process legally.  This is actually what every migrant I've spoken with says they would have preferred.  Who WANTS to travel dangerously... and then live in fear of being deported?  But if we don't have an easier system in place, they're going to risk it for the chance of a better life for their families.

Did you know... (human rights edition)

The big news right now in the United States is the Supreme Court's decision to uphold that marriage is not only for one man and one woman, but an option for any two consenting adults.  Did you know that it was declared a universal human right by the United Nations over 65 years ago?  For being such a first world country, we really are slow to recognize these rights.  We claim to be "all about that freedom" but we struggle to achieve these thirty basic rights.

I understand that my citizenship of the United States is such a privilege, and that without this privilege, I wouldn't be able to say the things I'm about to say.  Fortunately, I do not have fear of death or imprisonment for speaking out against my government (yet).  Unfortunately, many don't recognize the power of their voices, so I hope that mine gets picked up and heard loudly and clearly.

So... let's just discuss some of those Human Rights. 



Article 5 - No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
So, USA, what's up with this?

Article 9 - No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile.
So, USA, what's up with this?

Article 13 - Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each.  Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14 - Everyone hast he right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.  This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
So, USA, what's up with this? 



These are just four of the thirty.  We've got a lot of work to do, America.  A LOT of work to do.

Maquiladoras

Annotated Bibliography

Check out my annotated bibliography containing interesting articles I've found regarding the maquiladoras along the US/Mexico border.

Child Migration

Even Pakistan is covering the news of the child migrants from Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico attempting to enter the United States.  What are your thoughts?

Some Photos of La Frontera