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Border Patrol State Analysis

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Borders are ubiquitous; some are physical, others are not; some are rigid, others are not, but all have the same purpose, that is, to prevent two groups from interacting in a particular way. The border that exists between the United States and Mexico is no different, as author Leslie Marmon Silko can attest to in her work Border Patrol State. Even though her work is dated by roughly two decades, her message still persists, perhaps more clearly now than ever, in light of presidential candidate, Donald Trump’s, proposal to construct a multi-billion dollar physical border separating Mexico and the US. This topic is analyzed by comedian John Oliver’s in his piece, Border Wall where he, similarly to Silko, describes the asinine struggle the government …show more content…

As proven through Silko’s own testament, the border patrol clearly does not make Americans feel safe. And, while Silko does not directly speak of those that this system stops, she does mention many people that are wrongfully stopped. In each of these stops patrolmen waste time, energy, and resources on individuals with valid identification. Silko recounts her own experience when saying, “I was detained once at Truth or Consequences, despite my and my companions Arizona drivers license” (Silko 2). She continues on to speak of other people, namely of mixed descent, whom were stopped under similar circumstances, while whites were rarely stopped. In these accounts the system is helping no one; the border patrolmen are not detaining illegal immigrants, and citizens are forced to conceit their liberty or face further struggle, all while valuable resources are being wasted. In Border Patrol State, Silko makes numerous illusions to the feeling of freedom while driving down the vast, open highways characteristic of the south, or being taught in schools that every citizen has the right to freedom, although, unfortunately as her somber tone alludes, the border patrol state takes that freedom away. Citizens with valid credentials are coerced and bullied into being stopped and searched for all sorts of illegal contraband ranging from drugs to undocumented immigrants. If one is not complicit with patrolmen, they can be detained or forced to wait hours on end for search warrants which will in most cases end in a mandatory strip search, even if they have

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