Artifact 5!

It may not surprise you to know that people with primarily ethnic descent are more likely to drop out of high school before graduation.  Unfortunately hispanics are at the top of dropout rates.  Although dropout rates have declined, the number of hispanic children and young adults dropping out has not due to an increase of hispanic immigration.  The gap between African Americans and Hispanics has begun to close, which is good for the general wellbeing of the United States as a whole.  The dropout rate for boys in the hispanic category is 13.9 percent and the rate for girls is 11.3.  Unfortunately these statistics only include those who are United States citizens.  This means that a lot of Hispanics currently in the United States are not included in these dropout rates.

Reyna experienced many issues in school as a student not literate or communicable in English.  She felt left out and unable to communicate or relate to many of her fellow classmates.  It was also very hard for her to gain any traction in competition against English students.  Her sister dropped out of college to work, and her brother dropped out of college to get married.  Her half sister also dropped out.  The poverty of hispanic families often means that getting through high school can be an issue because of income.  Also, in many Spanish speaking counties school is not a priority. The reason for the higher dropout rate for boys is unclear, but it is most likely because that they are expected to work to support their parents or siblings.  There are many more programs for ethic young adults that want to stay in school than there used to be, and education is more valued in society in general from my perspective.  Those are two possible reasons for the decrease in dropout rates.  I would've thought that the dropout rates would be higher, so it was interesting for me to see the actual numbers.  There are a lot of roadblocks for language-barrier children to overcome in schooling, so it is incredible that the dropout rates are so low.

Original Article 1
Original Article 2

Artifact 4

It seems to be good news: less illegal immigrants are crossing the border.  Then comes the terrible news: more immigrants are dying.  Border patrol has increased, more and more effectively blocking the easiest ways into the United States, and that's a good thing.  Except for the small fact that increased security means more dangerous routes taken by immigrants.  In 2013 five migrants were dying per day.  That was before the huge wave of child refugees as well.  Many of the bodies are unidentified, and families most likely do not know whether their loved one is dead or alive. There will be some more closure for families, as a computer database encompassing more than 2,000 dead bodies may allow for families to collect and bury their deceased member.  Still some, like Mr. Cota, have not been found yet or are not on the database.  It is incredibly difficult to figure out who the body is, and if that is possible, contact the family; but new technologies and time will most likely improve the efficiency of the process.

Reyna had her difficulties with border crossings as well.  Her family tried to cross the border two times before finally succeeding the third time.  However, it became increasingly more expensive and more dangerous on each crossing.  On one attempt, she had to hide from a helicopter and her family split up, leaving terrified Reyna to sprint to a hiding spot.  She couldn't see her brother and was scared beyond belief.  This first hand account gave me a little bit of an idea how terribly terrifying crossing the border can be.  You could feel the apprehension of her father in every word he said about the crossing and Reyna herself experienced flashbacks of the border for weeks.  I am gaining more and more respect for the immigrants who make it to the United States.  These people go through inordinate amounts of suffering and hardships to make it to the United States and try to make their dreams come true.  Their bravery and persistence makes me appreciate what I have here.  If those who have so little can make their dreams come true, then I can as well.  I can make my future whatever I want it to be.

Original Article

Artifact 3

In a recent article by the BHCC (Board of Hispanic Caucus Chairs), they address a difficult truth.  The fact that hispanics in the United States are twice as likely to suffer from malnutrition than non-hispanics.  Malnutrition is, in fact, not starvation.  Malnutrition means you are not getting enough vitamins in your diet, most commonly iron and Vitamin D.  Deficiencies in these nutrients and others can result in stunting.  Stunting is when someone's growth is "stunted" at a young age because of lack of nutrients.  Now, before you start blaming this all on the subject's home country, think on the fact that the majority of the test subjects were naturalized United States citizens.  Out of these stunted kids 38.2 percent qualified as overweight or obese, compared to 29.8 percent of non-hispanic children.  The deficiencies in vitamins were exponentially higher in hispanics than in non-hispanics, as well as in hispanic girls than in hispanic boys.  Hispanic children, quite simply, aren't eating the right food.

Reyna often didn't have enough to eat as a child.  Sometimes she would only be able to eat one small amount of food for one or two days.  She couldn't eat highly nutritious food, she was most likely deficient in many nutrients.  When she finally crossed into America, her half-siblings became very overweight and possibly obese from eating fast food.  Fast food is most likely the main contributor of malnutrition in the United States.  This is because most highly processed foods do not have that many nutrients in them besides fats and carbohydrates.  The cheapest diet currently for Americans is fast food, and with many hispanic families under the poverty line it becomes the most feasible option for feeding their families.  A diet of fast food and low amounts of exercise can very easily make a person obese and malnourished.  Fast food is dangerous for everyone and should be eradicated from everyone's diets, but unfortunately for many of these poor families that's just not feasible.  I didn't really think about the impact of fast food on vitamin and mineral intake, and how detrimental it would be for children still in early stages of growth.  It would be difficult to maintain health and weight on a low income salary.  The only solution seems to be reversing the pricing of food in the United States.  This problem will not be solved by degrading overweight individuals and telling them to eat healthier.  It doesn't work that way.   We need to start requiring better food from the fast food companies or make good food cheaper.  It is a necessity that we as a country step up to control what we eat.

Original Article

Artifact 2

We've heard about illegal Mexican immigrants crossing into America to work for years, and the question often asked is, "why can't they just find jobs in Mexico?".  The answer is simply, "becuase there are no jobs".  This is becuase of many factors, but largely because of a rapid economic decline that really hit in later 2009.  This decline was caused because of many factors hitting the country at once.  Factor one is the United States.  The US is the main source of revenue for Mexico, and the subsequent Great Depression and Ressesion of 2008 created a huge hole in money flow between the two countries.  Also, tourists are not as phyced about Mexico for the ideal vacation spot, due to the "Swine Flu" and concerns about violence.  Tourism decline has resulted in more than 300 million dollars. To add to this, the oil industry has been hit hard.  The biggest oil field in Mexico decreased production more than 90% since 2004.  The lack of money coming in from Mexicans abroad also is affecting Mexico's economy for the worse.  Since Mexico isn't the only country having revenue problems, this means Mexicans sending money to family and friends still in the country aren't sending as much money.  Lack of production and the firing of wrokers has also lead to a decline in tax revenue, which was by far the worst hit on Mexico's economy. To add on top of it all, many people are choosing to leave Mexico and bring their money with them.

Reyna's father was one such worker.  He left Mexico to achieve his dreams in the United States when Reyna was three.  He left largely because the economy in Mexico made it near impossible to find work or to make enough money to support the family.  Mostly because of this, Reyna grew up without a father.  The economic decline in Mexico was also why the La Quinta Castrejón, where her mother worked for a time, declined in wealth and grander.  I knew that it was hard for people to make good money in Mexico, but I didn't know the root of the problem.   My assumption was that people couldn't make money because they didn't have the skills or eduation to get a job.  I was wrong.  The fact is that there is a job crises in Mexico much like the one currently wreaking havoc on the United States.  People who may be skilled may not have jobs or be able to make enough money simply because there isn't any way for them to do so.  I'm glad these hard workers get a second chance in the United States, whether or not they came here illegally.

Original Article

Artifact 1 (No relation to my actual blog)

My first artifact is two articles outlining a comprehensive problem that many Hispanic children face.  Last year approximately 38,833 children fled their home countries and crossed the United States border.  It is expected that 74,000 thousand children will cross the border by the end of this year.  Through the asylum policy, these children are eligible to seek asylum in the US if they fled a situation where they were afraid for their lives.  However, under the current law a judge needs to make a decision on whether each individual child qualifies to stay in the United States under asylum. Normally, these children are kept in self-servicing facilities for short periods of time. These include schooling, shelter, and food.  However the current system is not even close to equipped to handle a 142% increase of children refugees crossing the border since 2011, which means that the US is not able to give them all that they need.  The effectiveness of shelters and the wellbeing of children while inside them differs from child to child.  Some kids found safety and a new start, while others were beat up and harassed.  Most of these children are fleeing from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras; some of the highest countries for death rates.  Honduras reaps the highest death rates currently in the world, El Salvador comes in second, and Guatemala comes in fifth.  These countries host gangs that often target and threaten children and teens.  When these children make it across the border, if they make it at all, they are usually suffering from PTSD or depression.  This can make the adjustment to the US very difficult.  Given the children's undocumented alien status, their presence in the US is causing controversy.  As the problem will not dissipate any time soon, and Congress is continually stuck in a stalemate, many believe that the President will use executive action to come up with a solution.  This solution could come in the form of allowing undocumented parents to come into the US to raise their children with US citizenships.  This could also mean that the president implements a policy called "Parole in Place" which would allow parents or relatives to apply for citizenship unhindered by their illegal crossing into the United States.  However, no matter what the president decides, his decision will be largely influenced by the political dynamics in the country and his party. Whatever the president decides, the matter is very delicate both politically and culturally.

Reyna faced a very similar situation as these children, and one that many latino children face.  Her parents left her in Mexico to work in the United States.  Her older sister had to start work at a very young age, and often they were starving.  Reyna was actually very lucky when you consider that many of these children don't even have siblings that cross with them.  These children are alone, scared, and usually have crossed great distances.  Before reading this article I didn't consider that many immigrants cross the border illegally because there is no other choice for them.  A lot of times escaping their situation is a life-or-death thing, and that's not something I realized.  I now have a lot more respect and admiration for those who make it across the border, instead of anger or pity.  Just because people grew up in different circumstances doesn't mean they don't deserve just as much or more of the opportunities that I recieve.  So thank you Ariana Grande, Ian Gordon, and Tamara Keith for opening my eyes just a little bit more on the topic of immigration.

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