U.S. reckoning

Two of his siblings passed away in childhood and, as a boy, he roamed the thorny desert barefoot. At just 14 years old, armed with nothing but a quarter and resolve, he immigrated to the United States.

My grandpa was a hardworking, law-abiding man who greatly revered the U.S. Despite this, he experienced numerous racist encounters; his white neighbors repeatedly called immigration authorities.

The vitriol my grandpa endured is deeply unfounded. After all, it was America that created the impoverished conditions in Mexico, necessitating his immigration.

The United States supported anti-communist leaders despite overt authoritarian repression, specifically President Ordaz, perpetrator of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo displaced thousands of Mexicans and mandated that Mexico cede 50% of its territory. Notably, U.S. corporations also currently exploit Mexican workers in unsafe border factories.

Political debate largely ignores that U.S. interventions have destabilized nations, spurring immigration. ICE raids that cruelly sow fear are not the solution. Improved foreign policy is. The United States now reckons with the consequences of its own actions; tampering abroad is never without repercussions.

Sophia Heath

San Mateo