Reasons Immigrants Risk Their Life to Get to the US as Seen in Enrique’s Journey
They were barely old enough to cross a street by themselves, much less a border. People from hispanic countries send their children with smugglers, so they can have a better future. Most of these kids are sent not because they want to, but because of their struggle at home. For instance, some of them can’t attend school because of poverty. Therefore, they take trains, sleep on the ground, run from immigration officers, and starve just to get to the United States. However, all these news sources tell incomplete stories about what goes through a journey to get to the US illegally. People from other countries are trying to have a better future for them and for their family.
First and most troubling, trying to cross the US border has negative impacts on immigrants life physical health. One example is losing a body part to the “The Beast” if one does not pay attention to their your surroundings. In Enrique’s journey, the author points out that “a migrant riding the freight train loses an arm, leg, hand, or foot” (Nazario 87). This can be an impact on the migrants’ journey, where some don’t go back home because they are afraid of how their family members might look at them. It also impacts their life as they have to get used to having one less body part, making it difficult to do certain things. Migrants risk it all for a better life since most of them are poor and live in a country with a bad economy, where children cannot get an education. Manuel Roig-Franzia, from the Washington Post states that “Many people leave their home countries in order to look for economic opportunities in another country. Others migrate to be with family members who have migrated or because of political conditions in their countries. Education is another reason for international migration, as students pursue their studies abroad”. This illustrates that people living in the Country are blessed to be in the US legally because others that cannot come here legally risk their lives trying to get here illegally.
In addition another risk is family separation children can only rely on themselves, do not have the guidance of their friends anymore, may feel more alone because they do not have their parents or siblings with them. In Enrique’s journey, enrique is mad and sad that his mother isn’t with him, “I want to be with my mother. I see so many children with mothers. I want that (Nazario 36)”. Parents leave to the US and leave their children behind so they can give their children a better life but some children don’t have the guidance of a parent and they often go through the wrong path that leads them to drugs and bad habits because of the poor support that they receive by themselves. For example, “there is a small graduation ceremony but nobody from his family comes to the graduation”. Others risk crossing because if they don’t they’ll get killed. On the washington post it states that “One woman, identified only as Carmen, told El Pais that she knew about President Trump’s new policy. But, she said, she still planned to cross the border with her three children and her husband. Her family fled San Salvador, she said, because a member of a gang had become obsessed with her. He said he would kill Carmen if she did not date him”. Many people try to leave their country because of problems like this.
In conclusion, immigrants risk their life to have a better future and leave their past behind. Most people cross the US border don’t see their family at all and they are willing to do that to have a better life. So as you can see these people just want to have more opportunities in life by coming to the US.
