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Echoes from the Wall: Real Stories of Mexican Migrants
These are the stories of 13 Mexicans - told in their own words - that recount the fears, frustrations, and successes that marked their U.S. border crossings. Many were not immigrants hoping to stay in the U.S. for a lifetime. They were, rather, migrants intent upon building a nest egg that would allow them to provide better lives for their families when they returned to Mexico. This book will change the way that most American view the issue of illegal immigration.
- GenresNonfiction
460 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 22, 2019
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12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 20, 2019
For those on both sides of the growing divide regarding immigration, border walls, and US-Mexican policies, this book by Judy King is a refreshing and valuable addition. While it recounts many poignant interviews of migrants’ trials and sufferings, as well of stories US Army veterans deported and students deprived of deserved opportunities, it is never argumentative and never one-sided. It is a balanced and clear-headed look at the problems confronting us today which for decades have been obfuscated by the self-interest of certain agencies and corporations and manipulated by politicians wiling to distort the facts to win elections.
King provides the reader with an in-depth study of Mexican migration from 1840s when the US took half of Mexico’s territory though military force, through WW I when the US invited Mexican workers to the US to replace soldiers going off to war, through the mass deportations of the Depression era, then the Bracero Movement when again they were invited to work during WWII, then the return to seasonal crossings in the Eisenhower and Kennedy days, and from there to the evolution of the Draconian system in place today. King’s consummate skill as an interviewer give the reader a bird’s eye view of the very real danger of border crossings in recent times with a chilling assessment of the deaths incurred by those seeking a better life. Even more troubling, she recounts the stories of US citizens arrested for merely providing water in the desert to those who were in danger of death by exposure and dehydration.
But this is not simply a collection of stories about undocumented migrants, or an overview of the border wall, or the historical changes, or even the loss of life (which is so underreported in the press), or even the abuse of children in detention centers. It is also the story of corporate greed and the ostensibly legal but clearly immoral collusion between lawmakers and prison-for-profit corporations to create crimes where no exited before and build hundreds of detention centers throughout the United States.
For most of the 20th century, the US Border Patrol processed and then deported undocumented migrants within hours. However, within the past two decades the American Legislative Council, a conservative action group began writing draft legislation criminalizing these migrants (changing the terminology from “undocumented” to “illegal”) and submitting their proposals to ambitious conservative legislators. In cooperation with the Corrections Corporation of America (now Core Civic Inc.) and the GEO Group, the two major prison management corporations, these legislators garnered enough votes to not only criminalize the migrants but to build a myriad of new prisons (euphemistically called “detention centers”) to incarcerate them. Now there are a dozen of such corporations throughout the US working with budget of over $4 billion and incarcerating over 40,000 immigrants at any given time.
The US now holds the dubious distinction of being the country with the largest number of people incarcerated in its prison system per capita with over 2, 500,000 in prison, jails and detention centers, and at least 700,000 yet to be convicted of any real crime. More than 14,000 of these are children living under deplorable condition due to overcrowding, reduced staff, and marginal medical facilities, due to cost-saving cutbacks by these profit-oriented management groups. Over 170 of those being held have since died in custody.
A bonus addition to this insightful book are three chapters by experts in their field. Arturo Garcia, a well-known Mexican-American artist and activist discusses what happens to US-naturalized children when one of their parents are deported. Meanwhile, Tony Burton, a Mexican specialist shows not only the pointlessness of a border wall but also the negative impact it would have on migrating wildlife and on indigenous Tohono O’odham people who live in the region. Finally, Richard Rhoda, an academic, provides the reader with a wealth of useful statistics including the fact that Mexican immigration to the US between 2009 and 2014 was a negative 130,000 when a million returned to Mexico compared to 870,000 moving to the US.
In this artfully portrayed collection of stories, statistics, investigative reports, history and anecdotes, the reader is introduced to the complexities and nuances of this broken system. King challenges old assumptions and provides a fresh take on the immigration debate. In addition, she provides a Frequently Asked Questions section at the end along with a glossary of terms, and a list of books for further reading. It is a volume that should grace the bookshelf of every concerned citizen on both sides of the border.
--from The Guadalajara Reporter, March 8, 2019
King provides the reader with an in-depth study of Mexican migration from 1840s when the US took half of Mexico’s territory though military force, through WW I when the US invited Mexican workers to the US to replace soldiers going off to war, through the mass deportations of the Depression era, then the Bracero Movement when again they were invited to work during WWII, then the return to seasonal crossings in the Eisenhower and Kennedy days, and from there to the evolution of the Draconian system in place today. King’s consummate skill as an interviewer give the reader a bird’s eye view of the very real danger of border crossings in recent times with a chilling assessment of the deaths incurred by those seeking a better life. Even more troubling, she recounts the stories of US citizens arrested for merely providing water in the desert to those who were in danger of death by exposure and dehydration.
But this is not simply a collection of stories about undocumented migrants, or an overview of the border wall, or the historical changes, or even the loss of life (which is so underreported in the press), or even the abuse of children in detention centers. It is also the story of corporate greed and the ostensibly legal but clearly immoral collusion between lawmakers and prison-for-profit corporations to create crimes where no exited before and build hundreds of detention centers throughout the United States.
For most of the 20th century, the US Border Patrol processed and then deported undocumented migrants within hours. However, within the past two decades the American Legislative Council, a conservative action group began writing draft legislation criminalizing these migrants (changing the terminology from “undocumented” to “illegal”) and submitting their proposals to ambitious conservative legislators. In cooperation with the Corrections Corporation of America (now Core Civic Inc.) and the GEO Group, the two major prison management corporations, these legislators garnered enough votes to not only criminalize the migrants but to build a myriad of new prisons (euphemistically called “detention centers”) to incarcerate them. Now there are a dozen of such corporations throughout the US working with budget of over $4 billion and incarcerating over 40,000 immigrants at any given time.
The US now holds the dubious distinction of being the country with the largest number of people incarcerated in its prison system per capita with over 2, 500,000 in prison, jails and detention centers, and at least 700,000 yet to be convicted of any real crime. More than 14,000 of these are children living under deplorable condition due to overcrowding, reduced staff, and marginal medical facilities, due to cost-saving cutbacks by these profit-oriented management groups. Over 170 of those being held have since died in custody.
A bonus addition to this insightful book are three chapters by experts in their field. Arturo Garcia, a well-known Mexican-American artist and activist discusses what happens to US-naturalized children when one of their parents are deported. Meanwhile, Tony Burton, a Mexican specialist shows not only the pointlessness of a border wall but also the negative impact it would have on migrating wildlife and on indigenous Tohono O’odham people who live in the region. Finally, Richard Rhoda, an academic, provides the reader with a wealth of useful statistics including the fact that Mexican immigration to the US between 2009 and 2014 was a negative 130,000 when a million returned to Mexico compared to 870,000 moving to the US.
In this artfully portrayed collection of stories, statistics, investigative reports, history and anecdotes, the reader is introduced to the complexities and nuances of this broken system. King challenges old assumptions and provides a fresh take on the immigration debate. In addition, she provides a Frequently Asked Questions section at the end along with a glossary of terms, and a list of books for further reading. It is a volume that should grace the bookshelf of every concerned citizen on both sides of the border.
--from The Guadalajara Reporter, March 8, 2019
March 21, 2019
Judy King does an excellent job both sharing stories of Mexican migrants and the recent U.S. policy change that are affecting them.
Learn the facts about remittances sent to Mexico, border facial recognition policies, Legal Permanent Residence, the effects of the Border Wall on wildlife, the high cost of crossing the desert into the U.S. and the illegality of providing food, water, and medical treatment to migrants, the damage to children separated from their parents, the truth about healthcare and taxes for migrants, whether migrants are more apt to be criminals than U.S. born citizens, who is financing the mega-detention centers, and how the Bracero work program began the immigration cycle from Mexico to the U.S.
Learn the facts about remittances sent to Mexico, border facial recognition policies, Legal Permanent Residence, the effects of the Border Wall on wildlife, the high cost of crossing the desert into the U.S. and the illegality of providing food, water, and medical treatment to migrants, the damage to children separated from their parents, the truth about healthcare and taxes for migrants, whether migrants are more apt to be criminals than U.S. born citizens, who is financing the mega-detention centers, and how the Bracero work program began the immigration cycle from Mexico to the U.S.
September 26, 2021
Interesting essays about Mexicans crossing the border into the US.
There are essays of individuals who crossed the border for a variety of reasons. Some crossed as a result of the Bracero program in the 1940s. Most crossed for economic reasons or to be with family members. Some had visas and traveled legally while others were undocumented. Some of the undocumented crossed many times without success. Often, the Mexican immigrants would return to Mexico as it was their home and where their family lived.
I found a couple inaccuracies only because in my prior life I was a payroll manager and we had international employees. The author assumed that the US Social Security Mismatch program consisted mostly of undocumented workers. This was not true in my experience. Most of those employees on the SS Mismatch were mismatch with names or dates. The most common was that we would hire a "Bob" but his social security name was "Robert". Another inaccuracy was a statement that employees who could not get a Social Security number could use the IRS' ITIN. No true. If a person is eligible to be an employee, then they are entitled to have a Social Security number. ITINs as used for non employees who have need to report taxes.
Overall, this is a good book.
There are essays of individuals who crossed the border for a variety of reasons. Some crossed as a result of the Bracero program in the 1940s. Most crossed for economic reasons or to be with family members. Some had visas and traveled legally while others were undocumented. Some of the undocumented crossed many times without success. Often, the Mexican immigrants would return to Mexico as it was their home and where their family lived.
I found a couple inaccuracies only because in my prior life I was a payroll manager and we had international employees. The author assumed that the US Social Security Mismatch program consisted mostly of undocumented workers. This was not true in my experience. Most of those employees on the SS Mismatch were mismatch with names or dates. The most common was that we would hire a "Bob" but his social security name was "Robert". Another inaccuracy was a statement that employees who could not get a Social Security number could use the IRS' ITIN. No true. If a person is eligible to be an employee, then they are entitled to have a Social Security number. ITINs as used for non employees who have need to report taxes.
Overall, this is a good book.
March 31, 2019
Riveting!
I’ve lived in Mexico for 4 years & spent the summers here for at least 10 years before that and I truly had no idea it was SO much more difficult to go in the other direction! The statistics in this book are mind boggling! My fervent wish would be for Trump to read it...such an eye-opener!
I’ve lived in Mexico for 4 years & spent the summers here for at least 10 years before that and I truly had no idea it was SO much more difficult to go in the other direction! The statistics in this book are mind boggling! My fervent wish would be for Trump to read it...such an eye-opener!
April 28, 2021
Every politician should read this
For me, it was an eye opener into a culture that is so maligned in the United States. There are parts in the book which made me put it down to go on to lighter reading, parts that just really annoyed me about the bias, and unfair treatment of the immigrants that add so much to our society. Well researched and very informative
For me, it was an eye opener into a culture that is so maligned in the United States. There are parts in the book which made me put it down to go on to lighter reading, parts that just really annoyed me about the bias, and unfair treatment of the immigrants that add so much to our society. Well researched and very informative
April 9, 2019
A work of Love
This book took a lot of due diligence. Every word is true, I know this because I have known Judy King for years and many of the characters and co-writers are familiar to me. Thank you Judy.
This book took a lot of due diligence. Every word is true, I know this because I have known Judy King for years and many of the characters and co-writers are familiar to me. Thank you Judy.
December 28, 2019
Interesting book, full of information about our southern neighbors and the struggles they have to live in Mexico and in the US....and to get to the US. Some surprising tales.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews