With the rising hype on the situation of the Mexican border, it is without a doubt that some of the news has alarmed many of the American citizens today. We read of the rising body count of illegal immigrants in their desperate attempts to cross the border, drug smugglers who die in a bloody shootout, and the Border Patrol agents who gave their lives defending our nation’s doorstep. And yet, our agents, both American citizens and honorary enforcers of the law, are not only burdened with avoidable circumstances and inadequate support from the lack of proper government plans and direction, but also scorn and criticism from the public.
The Border Patrol face many difficulties in their line of work; difficulties that hinder their efforts to save lives and enforce the security of Americans. In support, the book, The Devil’s Highway, the author Luis Alberto Urrea gives us the credible and factual insight into the lives of the “men in green”, using records and interviews from the Border Patrol themselves. These difficulties range from psychological burdens to mortal dangers, all of these a part of the everyday routine of a typical Border Patrol agent. The book itself tells its readers of the tragedy of the Wellton 26 (or as it is better known, the Yuma 14): the ordeal of twenty-six immigrants from Mexico who attempted to illegally cross the U.S. border through the vast dessert, otherwise known as the Devil’s Highway.
It is reasonable to say that in the light of their circumstance, there is no alternative but to be as uncompromising as our nation’s leaders say we must be when it comes to our security; additional man power, funding and support for the Border Patrol must be made available for the demanding and virtuous task. Some may disagree; our nation’s focus should be on the war in Iraq instead as considerably more lives are lost in the war effort. Yes, that is indeed true, but we cannot disregard the current threats that our Border Patrol men face everyday at the...