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Boat People: Uncontrolled Migration In The United States

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The third wave of Vietnamese immigration was not considered Boat People. Rather, in 1979, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees negotiated the Orderly Departure Program (ODP), which sought to stop uncontrolled migration. As the camps were overcrowded, the ODP sent many back to their country of origin. Qualified individuals and people with family abroad were screened and resettled to third countries. Former political prisoners were not allowed to migrate through the ODP. However, they were able to move through the Humanitarian Operation Program. The prisoners must prove they were negatively affected by the communist regime in order to emigrate (DeMichele, 2012). Every Boat People’s story is unique. Some experiences were more dangerous …show more content…

My mother had given me some candies to take along. At two in the morning, my mother walked me to the bus stop. I did not know what was going to happen. I was unsure of how to feel. I had never left home by myself, but here I am, embarking on an unknown journey. I got onto the bus with my neighbor and traveled eight hours to the southern tip of Vietnam, to a town called Ca Mau. When I got off the bus, my neighbor and I were escorted by organizers to different houses to hide. Unfortunately, we were arrested by police. As a man, my neighbor was caught, jailed, and sent back to Saigon. Eventually, the police released the women and children. As I was waiting at the bus stop to be sent back to Saigon, another group leader caught up and secretly led me and a few others away to the other side of town. From there, we took a small taxi bus into the jungle. We had to find our way to the boat by traveling to the other side of the jungle. I remember staying in there for a day and a night. To avoid getting caught, our group could only move quietly in the dark. I also have to mention that the mosquitoes in that area are considered to be the worst in the world. Our entire group got bitten a lot. In addition to moving quietly, there were times we had to wade through mud as deep as our waist and other times we were able to hop on the roots. Finally, in the early hours of the morning we made it to the beach where a boat was waiting to pick us

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