I think that there are migrants, immigrants or refugees working locally for constructions companies, restaurants, maybe other businesses. Any time I have a personal interaction with the people, they are very nice, and I don't feel any fear.
I listen to old radio shows, from the 40s and 50s, which depict a border that was more open. I remember tv shows where people from other countries were accepted a lot more quickly. I've read a few novels, too, where the relationships between Americans and foreign nationals was friendlier.
Going further back, it seems that many people living on both sides of the Rio Grande traveled back and forth across the river, and it wasn't a big deal.
I don't live in any of the states that are on the border, and I probably shouldn't weigh in. But I think that there should be a better distinction about the people coming across the border: are they migrants seeking work? Are they immigrants hoping to stay in the U.S. and become citizens? Are they fleeing from violence or abject poverty in their country? If migrants work here and have ties in their own country, if they do work that Americans won't do, if there are so many rules and regulations in place, why are they such a threat? Why can't they just come and go as they were used to doing? If they are immigrants, I can't help thinking that they've made plans to make this life-changing move and are working with government entities to obtain the necessary permits and follow the path to citizenships. If they are refugees, all of the countries who are facing the refugee crisis have to find a moral way to manage people fleeing anything from gangs to floods. Climate change is going to force people away from regions that were home to them, either because of extreme temperatures or ocean levels rising. We aren't a herd of deer, and as humans we should be planning for population shifts so it stops being a crisis.
By all means, ICE and Border Patrol should do their level best to stop criminals from going back and forth. So many of the people trying to get into the U.S. aren't crooks, and it is a shame that protecting the border has become such an accepted rallying cry, mainly, I bet from racists, who like to bully others whether it's in an alley or public office. It is okay to exploit the people who cross the border, but it is not okay to treat them like humans.
There isn't going to be an easy solution that will ever be the best for everyone. Treating the situation like it is a political game is ignoring the humanity of the people trying to cross the border. If president Biden makes the decision to command the border, maybe that step will force the rwnj to pass a border bill and make them realize that they are once again making inaction the point.
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