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The Devil's Highway Summary

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The Devil’s Highway, by Luis Alberto Urrea is the true story of 26 men who attempted to cross the Mexican border through the bleak Sonora Desert in May of 2001. Urrea describes the lives of the men who attempted to cross, what happened to them, and the response of the people working on the border and who encountered them. He explores the issue by describing both the personal experiences of people trying to emigrate from Mexico to the U.S., and of people working on the border. The story was made both realistic and compelling through the information gathered and research conducted for a full year prior to writing the story. In this paper I will explore how the U.S. government developed such strict laws and attitudes regarding Mexican immigration. …show more content…

There are many aspects that contribute to the sense of urgency felt by many immigrants. NAFTA, The North American Trade Agreement, was enacted in 1994, between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. This agreement pushed lots of cheap imports into the Mexican markets, which pushed many farmers and low wageworkers out of a job, because their people could not compete with them. Lack of job prospects and a steady source of income lead many people to abandon their homeland for what seems like the only option for a better life. “We as Mexicans became the enemy. After September 11, they sealed the border, built a wall, and began persecuting immigrants and justified it as a problem of security. This perspective became an excuse for everything,” said Sandra Rodriguez, an investigative reporter for Ciudad Juarez’s largest newspaper El Diario. The border and immigration are hot button issues in American politics. Brought up in speeches by candidates from all sides of the aisle and can easily factor into a successful campaign. As media constructions shape peoples views on Mexican immigration, and form viewers beliefs for years politics also have great influence. This appears especially true, as recent political campaigns and voter initiatives indicate, in the case of Mexican

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