The Modern Day Slave Trade MUST be Stopped!

Published on July 19, 2006 By Gideon MacLeish In Current Events

I believe in secure borders. I believe that we need some way to control our southern border, which is out of control by many accounts. But I have a hard time suppressing the anger I feel when I read news like today's article about the 100 Mexicans found in the Arizona desert, suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion. You see, there's a side to the story of illegal immigration that our politicians and pundits AREN'T telling; a story that needs to be told because of the lives that hang in the balance.

During the time I worked in the mine, I got a glimpse at the traffic in illegal immigrants that is going on, and the sad truth is that, while some of these immigrants are not entirely without blame, for too many of these immigrants, the traffic in illegals is nothing more than a modern day slave trade, with trucks replacing ships as the means of transport.

There is a class of "businessman" in America that loves the illegal; they can treat them like dirt, work them long hours at low wages, and even refuse to pay them in some circumstances under the guise of reporting them as criminals if they demand the money they earned working for these scum. While I doubt that Fortune 500 companies are actually knowingly doing the employing of these illegals, I have very little doubt out that they are turning a blind eye as subcontractors for their companies use these people in their workforce; all that matters is their bottom line. The suit of a few years back against WalMart for doing that very thing would lend some credence to that belief.

Towards the western edge of Nevada, there is a dairy (I will not say where, as all I have is anecdotal evidence of this; but that evidence comes from the illegals themselves). This dairy pays $5000 per head for illegals. The "coyotes" get $1200 to actually bring them across, and if we could find out where the rest goes, we could probably make substantial progress on eliminating this slave trade. $3800 a head's a pretty good figure, and I think it's safe to say there's probably a high profile office in a high profile city where these bacteria operate. The dairy pays these laborers $3 an hour to work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. Because they are in the middle of the desert, prices are high for everything but housing, which is usually taken care of by creatures that don't even qualify as slumlords. They will purchase camping shells, old trailers, mobile homes, etc, and throw them together on several desert acres with a well to provide water and basically call that "housing". Even at 84 hours a week, a $3 an hour laborer can hardly afford to be picky.

After six months working for this dairy, the laborers are given their papers and released. There is no unemployment, as their entire work history was undocumented, there is no worker's compensation for those unfortunate enough to be injured on the job, and for those who leave the dairy early, they have no papers, and, if they are unable to procure them somehow, will pretty much be consigned to a life of crime and/or homelessness if they are to avoid deportation. Desperation has a way of bringing out the worst in people, and these laborers are no exception.

I find it remarkable that in our approaches to illegal immigration we expect these illegals to be fully knowledgeable of the law. Most AMERICANS have difficulty understanding the law; how can we expect an uneducated population to be better informed? The truth is, many of these illegals are told that what they are doing is legal, or that the US government will soon be granting amnesty to them. Some are even pointed to our laws regarding Cuban refugees and told it applies to ALL immigrants; simply arrive safely on our shores and they're "in". But no matter what the motivation that entices a poor Latin American to climb on the truck, be it belief that what they are doing is legal, or simply a gamble against the odds of deportation in hopes that they will be one of the lucky ones to escape detection until they're entrenched in this country, any approach that centers solely on apprehension of illegals without SEVERE punishment of those who are engaged in the traffic of these poor souls is not only misguided, it is unconscionable and inhumane.

We stood up to the slave traders almost a century and a half ago. We ended the trade that made millions of black men and women into human chattel. Yet our ignorance of history and insistence that it could never happen again, at least not in THIS country, has led to a restoration of the slave trade, only with different victims and different modes of delivery. Until these slave traders are languishing in cells for lengthy prison sentences with their assets forfeited to the victims of their horrendous crimes, any attempt we make at immigration reform will be meaningless and hollow.

Comments

Locamama

on Jul 19, 2006

Yes, absolutely. I don't know that I would call it slave trade that seems a bit extremist. They are not captured and brought to the U.S. unwillingly, just convinced that they will be in the land of gold and riches if they go with these people. But yes many are very much taken advantage of by the businesses that employee them. They face death if they can't keep up and the coyotes leave them behind. I just read a report about a Chinese American who would pay $1500 for illegal immigrants to come and work in the chinese restaurants. Business is definately driving illegal immigration.

Most illegal immigrants are not horrible, evil people. I know there are some criminals who are illegal immigrants but the one's I've known have all been incredibly kind and hard-working people.

I would encourage you to read Enrique's Journey which is the story of what an immigrant from Honduras faces coming to our country to be reunited with his mother who left him to come to the U.S. when he was a young child.

Gideon MacLeish

on Jul 19, 2006

I don't know that I would call it slave trade that seems a bit extremist.

Whether you buy your slaves with money, or with false promises, they are still slaves, loca. Because of the way our government deals with immigration, these people cannot go to the government for relief; they are unpersons within our society, they are disposable, and none of the political approaches to immigration seem to care one whit about them.

I have often wondered how many of these immigrants have died in the Nevada desert; if they don't exist, you can't report the death or you invite all sorts of questions, right? So what is happening to these people?

We need an "insider" to come out and help us put the hammer to these animals, in my opinion.

Dr Guy

on Jul 19, 2006

I find your analogy to the slave trade to be a bit strong, but also a strong one. One difference is that they are coming here on their own. (The Original slaves did not). However, that makes them law breakers, and should not dehumanize them.

There is a reason that many streets in Imperial Valley are Called Cesar Chavez. Not all of those workers were legal either. But that did not make them sub human.

Gideon MacLeish

on Jul 19, 2006

I find your analogy to the slave trade to be a bit strong, but also a strong one. One difference is that they are coming here on their own. (The Original slaves did not).

Like I told loca, it doesn't matter if you buy slaves with money or false promises, they are still slaves. And as for them coming here "on their own", doc, not all of them are. One does not have to look very far to find instances where cargo containers have been packed full of illegals (better watch out or I might get called "paranoid" again by the far left bomb throwers on this site), and many more are brought across in other manners by the same human smugglers. These smugglers are paid for each living immigrant, in exactly the same way slave traders were paid. This means they will use whatever means are at their disposal to recruit these illegals to come across...and I would find it hard to believe that they don't use some pretty nasty tactics to persuade them.

I don't believe in amnesty as such, dr. You should know that much by now. But I do believe that the immigration issue is one with MANY factors to consider, and that the slave trade that is going on (read again the description of the Nevada dairy and tell me that doesn't come dangerously close to slavery even if it may not meet the same standards) is NOT being addressed in any of the bureaucratics' approaches to immigration. These people matter, and these people deserve to be freed from their chains.

InBloom

on Jul 19, 2006

I know some people don't have sympathy for someone coming in here illegally and on their own, but these stories hit too close to home (literally) for me.

Stories like these are a dime a dozen here on the West Texas Border. You hear about it all too often: immigrants who were shipped by coyotes here with the promise of a decent short term or long term job...and instead of getting what they are promised, they are forced to do some exteremely laborious job in a quarry and are packed together in an overcrowded and dilapidated trailer in the middle of nowhere (which was the case here not too long ago).

There was also a story here not too long ago of a woman was brought over with a promise of a job only to get raped by her coyotes in a filthy motel room.

It's really sad that their own country can't improve themselves enough to want their people to stay there...it really is. And because of this they actually risk their lives to come over to a place that they feel would better their lives.

foreverserenity

on Jul 19, 2006

It's really sad that their own country can't improve themselves enough to want their people to stay there...it really is. And because of this they actually risk their lives to come over to a place that they feel would better their lives.

I agree. The thing is there are people in Mexico who live a good life but the ones who are poor and in need of help seems to be so many and so extreme. It is really sad that this is happening and something should be done about it.

Sometimes I feel like it's that one hand washes the other or in other words, you give me this, I'll give you that and we'll both close our eyes and mouth to what's really going on.

Dr Guy

on Jul 19, 2006

And as for them coming here "on their own", doc, not all of them are.

I dont mean by their own methods. But all have a desire to come here to work. Again that is not excusing the slave traders as that is always wrong. But I will not go so far as to equate them with 17th century blacks. Almost, but not there.

But the sad part of the whole thing is it will not change. As long as it is illegal, and it always will be, there will be criminals to exploit it and them.

Trudygolightly

on Jul 19, 2006

Wonderful article!

eieio

on Jul 19, 2006

I too find the 'slave' part a little misleading. In as much as slaves are normally thought of persons that are seized against their will and put into forced servitude against their will.

While this may actually be the case in some circumstances (very few, I would guess), for the most part I believe these people are aware of the dangers and the conditions that may await them. It would seem that this has been going on long enough for word of the actual conditions to be out. It's probably no more a secret in Mexico than it is here. And it's likely that prospective illegals have more insight into the actual workings of sneaking into the country, working, etc. than most Americans do. Especially the illegals that are repeat offenders.

I'm not trying to diminish the conditions illegals are often put through but to paint them as naive as a group with no clue of what they may face, seems a bit ... well naive.

Gideon MacLeish

on Jul 22, 2006

I'm not trying to diminish the conditions illegals are often put through but to paint them as naive as a group with no clue of what they may face, seems a bit ... well naive.

With all due respect, you can't prove this statement much more than I can prove mine. I call it a slave trade because that's what it IS...I personally KNOW illegals who are here because their friends pointed them to articles in Mexican newspapers that pronounced that the US would be offering "amnesty" to illegal aliens. Because of the urgency of getting across the border to beat the deadline for "amnesty" (even though the most liberal program would require them to have been here for two years prior), I find it highly likely they're duped into getting into these cargo containers.

We also have to remember the promise that lures these people here is the same promise that lured many of our ancestors...a land flowing with milk and honey, where every man is a king. It's an idyllic vision, sure, but for someone making $1 a day, the risk they take for a better life is minimal when they consider that the penalties for failure are simply being returned to the life they already know.

You may not feel sorry for these people "bought" by places such as the dairy, pict, but I do. They are humans, and under absolutely no terms do they deserve to be treated as they are. Whether the illegals came across willingly or not, they are still slaves. They're still held against their will (who gets punished if one of the illegals breaks away and "rats out" the dairy? The illegal does, not the owners of the dairy), they're still forced to live in squalid conditions, they're still treated as human chattel. They do not have freedom, they do not have rights, and one can only speculate on the deplorable conditions these people must endure.

eieio

on Jul 22, 2006

Gideon, I recognize that there may be instances like the one you spoke of and I'm sure you are more aware of the intimate details than I. Maybe it qualifies as slavery. I can't answer that.

I do feel that the vast majority of illegals in this country are not being held against their will or were forced to come here against their will.

I feel there may be a certain amount of psychological dependency at work for some illegals that makes them 'feel' that they have no choice and can not leave. Similar to the mistreated or beaten wife that 'feels' she can not leave her abusive husband. In most cases, they can leave and, thankfully, quite often do so. If they and the illegals are slaves, it is only to their own psyche and not to another human being.

Now I would be among the first to agree that employers need to be held accountable for hiring illegals. This is a practice that needs to stop, but my reasons are not because I see the illegals as slaves.

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