Mexican Amusement Park Offers Fake Border Crossing Attraction

Mexican Amusement Park Offers Fake Border Crossing Attraction

www.pbs.org

The aim is to dissuade would be migrants from making the trip. The coyote, or smuggler, leading this simulated illegal border crossing used the name Simon and wore a face mask. Before setting off, he addressed his charges that evening, about 40 students from a private school in Mexico City.

"Tonight we're going to talk about migration," Simon said in Spanish. "But for us it isn't just something rhetorical, but rather the opposite. Because we have endured, we have suffered, of hunger, thirst, injustice, heat, cold, we have suffered from everything."

(visit the link for the full news article)

I thought this was an interesting twist on the illegal immigration issue. In the past, there have been reports of Mexico actually encouraging immigration into the United States; now we have an amusement park advocating less immigration.

Have we poisoned our economy so badly we're not worth immigrating to any more? Was that someone's plan?

At the very least, I'm sure it will save lives. I doubt most illegal immigrants know when they decide to contract with a coyote exactly what they are getting into.

TheRedneck


www.pbs.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by TheRedneck


I'm pretty sure they are also using this to discourage Americans from illegally immigrating to Mexico once the US economy collapse

This sounds like the *scared straight* programs they have in America, where they set up fake car crashes and let the students believe their friend has died. Or they send them to a jail for the day and let them get a taste of a cell.. Anyways, they need a bullet dodging assessment added to this list.. Use rubber bullets, or paint guns.. Will this work? No, scare straight programs don't work. They want to cross over, their going to do it anyways..

reply to post by TheRedneck



It isn't like some large, shady operation. I am not involved in this kind of thing in any way, but i bet I could get you in touch with folks who are pretty easily. It isn't, here in Texas, like that at all.

I have known people throughout my life who have come back and forth across a remote access for years. Sometimes they are caught and taken back. They just head back over a few days later.

This Vice documentary is about the same thing.

They go on one of these journeys,
and show what it would be like attempting to cross the border into the U.S.

If you want to see this in action - I recommend watching the video below.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan

I had always heard how everything is bigger in Texas... apparently rivers aren't considered a part of everything.

I have stood on the banks of the Rio Grande when it was smaller than what we would call a creek. Not even a decent wade to get across.

Amazing.

TheRedneck

Originally posted by TheRedneck
In the past, there have been reports of Mexico actually encouraging immigration into the United States...

I doubt there is any official govenmental department in Mexico encouraging unlawful immigration. I do know, however, there are private US enterprises actively recruiting such immigration and providing passage. This is so commonplace I can understand there would be programs to discourage such practice.

You realize some years back importing temporary labor was a common and accepted practice? However, after farm workers began to organize for better wages and working conditions and when regular migrant workers were qualifying for Social Security pensions and began collecting them it was determined to be more economically sound to discontinue migrant worker programs and just leave a back door open instead.

In recent years at Mexican Immigrations office I have seen a huge influx of families returning to Mexico with US-born children they have had to process into the Mexican system, along with Latino children new in schools here that speak much better English than Spanish.

For people to have jobs here, attend schools, and utilize government programs they do need to have the proper immigrations credentials. The US could do the same but does not do so. I wonder why??

reply to post by Erongaricuaro

I have often wondered the same thing myself. And yes, I am aware there are several companies who regularly recruit illegal immigrants... and these are typically abused until the job is over and left to do or die on their own. It's not a good situation for people of either country.

I want to thank you specifically for joining this thread. It's great to have some insight from within the system.

TheRedneck

reply to post by TheRedneck

And when it comes time for do or die, they all head to my local home depot it seems.

reply to post by TheCrimsonGhost


Be happy you have access to affordable labor. Folks up north don't. They call it "unfair". Not sure why...folks set their own rate when they contract for a job. No one is being exploited, and you typically get what you pay for. Often times, you end up with a person that becomes a long time partner.

I do my own work unless it requires the hiring of a licensed person. I have a 15 year old, and between us we do all of it. Well, and the wife. This past weekend i put in a new kitchen floor in a rental property (new decking, new surface).

But I live in the area where this sort of thing happens. And I am happy that there is both a need to put people to work so their kids won't go hungry, and that jobs that need to be done can still get done despite the tendency for price gouging among general contractors.

The ire against illegals is missplaced. The folks at Home Depot are just folks. They have families. They are working for those families. They aren't the drug runners and mafioso's that should be focused on. Where I am from, they are easy to tell apart. By the boots and hat, they are easy to distinguish.

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan


I have actually noticed white folks hanging out with the immigrants at home depot trying to get work, I wasn't putting them down, just tryin to make a joke. I have brought them home before.

reply to post by TheCrimsonGhost


Yea....my comments were more for the benefit of folks away from the border who like to judge our culture.

ETA: i wasn't always a desk jockey bean counter. We have a radio program that allows people call and sell items or buy items. "Yea, i have a rototiller motor I would like to trade for a weasel grafter", or some other type of stuff. If you are not a business, you can advertise your handy man services. Back when the oldest was still young, I fed the family many a nights by getting up and hustling for some jobs on that radio program.

Since we don't have a Home Depot here, that is how it works.

I don't think this is a good attraction.

Originally posted by AlanGhaderr
I don't think this is a good attraction.

I think it's a great attraction...did you read the article? They set this up so people can see what it's like, the hardships faced, and decide not to go.. seems like a great deterrent. Tell me what's wrong with it.

Considering the chances of drowning in the river or dying of dehydration in the desert, anyone who sees this and decides not to go is a life saved. Our border patrol is constantly saving people from the river and finding near dead dehydrated immigrants in the desert, that surely would have died if we didn't show up with water and a ride back home.

Originally posted by TheCrimsonGhost

Originally posted by AlanGhaderr
I don't think this is a good attraction.

I think it's a great attraction...did you read the article? They set this up so people can see what it's like, the hardships faced, and decide not to go.. seems like a great deterrent. Tell me what's wrong with it.

Considering the chances of drowning in the river or dying of dehydration in the desert, anyone who sees this and decides not to go is a life saved. Our border patrol is constantly saving people from the river and finding near dead dehydrated immigrants in the desert, that surely would have died if we didn't show up with water and a ride back home.

edit on 6/28/2013 by TheCrimsonGhost because: (no reason given)

Drowning in the river???

"Rio Grande" is a HUGE misnomer. It is long, but at most points is barely a trickle.

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan

Originally posted by TheCrimsonGhost

Originally posted by AlanGhaderr
I don't think this is a good attraction.

I think it's a great attraction...did you read the article? They set this up so people can see what it's like, the hardships faced, and decide not to go.. seems like a great deterrent. Tell me what's wrong with it.

Considering the chances of drowning in the river or dying of dehydration in the desert, anyone who sees this and decides not to go is a life saved. Our border patrol is constantly saving people from the river and finding near dead dehydrated immigrants in the desert, that surely would have died if we didn't show up with water and a ride back home.

edit on 6/28/2013 by TheCrimsonGhost because: (no reason given)

Drowning in the river???

"Rio Grande" is a HUGE misnomer. It is long, but at most points is barely a trickle.

I have seen episodes of border wars where they had to rescue people on inner tubes from the river. I know it's small in some parts, and probably most of the year, but what I saw was a raging river, so it has to be bigger than a trickle somewhere.

reply to post by TheCrimsonGhost


During a couple of weeks during the spring when the snow in the Rocky's melts off, there is some downstream water.

But I have seen a toy poodle walk across the Rio Grande before, near Laredo.