Why you can’t cry “protect our borders” and then fly to Mexico for vacation
C’mon bruh. Let the headline sit with you for a moment. All the MAGA “protect our borders” people get really quiet when the vacation months spring around and they head down to Mexico. If you’re going to be xenophobic and selfish, at least be consistent, no?
The issue of immigration is severe right now, and it doesn’t seem like it will ever calm down. Due to climate refugees and unstable regimes across the world, immigration becomes an act of survival.
But for MAGA folks who cry that Democrats don’t protect our borders, and that “illegal aliens” are invading the country, what do you say when you invade theirs? The cognitive dissonance is truly astounding. Or better yet, pathetic.
Troubles on the border of Mexico
Migrants are trapped at the border of Mexico due to an immigration crisis in Central and North America.
While it is an exceptionally complicated issue that is sure to never see bipartisan agreement, everyone should agree that the way border patrol is handling migrants is grossly inhumane.
Especially during the pandemic, immigration officers did not ensure safety for migrants in detention, and cases of infection skyrocketed.
One does not have to think hard about what it must take for a family to flee their homeland in search of a better life, to a place that is filled with racism, xenophobia, and a lack of safety for immigrants. Even more, to accept the treacherous journey along the way.
Suffice it to say, immigrants are not immigrants by some reckless declaration. They are because they need to be. It is about survival, the most basic human and animal instinctual understanding.
Mexicans love their home, their land
Cinco De Mayo is almost here. The joyous Mexican holiday will be celebrated by people in Mexico, the U.S. and all over the world.
This is thus an indication of the positives of immigration. Understanding more about other cultures is a treat, and we should always treat it as such.
Many Mexicans have no interest in America, or hearing about it. I can imagine those who were comfortable last year chuckling when Trump talked down on their country, as the U.S. was in one of the biggest crises in the world.
Seeing respectful tourists is one thing. Their naivete can be annoying, their exuberance exhausting. But the interest comes from an honest place. Those who speak down on Mexico and cry for Biden to “protect our borders” deserve no such benefit of the doubt.
“Protect our borders.” Then stay on your side.
You can’t cry that immigrants are illegally entering the country and then swarm theirs. If you don’t see this as a brazen act of privilege and immorality, you have blinders on.
Mexico deserves to be treated like any other nation: as one with both beautiful aspects and troubling ones.
We need to be more empathetic to the people fleeing their homes and livelihoods to America. What if it were us? Would we not do everything in our power to keep our loved ones safe?
So if you are going to Mexico for vacation, I ask one thing: advocate for Central Americans and Mexicans at the U.S./Mexico border. It is the bare minimum, yet still a noble act to shifting the narrative around the border situation in America and Mexico.