"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.
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