openscarf

I've read the argument now several times, "if I go to Mexico, I have to show my papers."  It's true that when you cross a patrolled border or fly in, you have to show your passport. Are these people implying that they're going to get stopped while sight seeing by Mexican cops and asked to provide their passport?  That's sounds far-fetched. Years ago I spent a month in Mexico, much of it very much off the beaten path, once, I did have to get off a bus on a remote road that 99.9 percent of tourists will never take, while the men were patted down and questioned by soldiers, I don't remember if the women had to show passports. That was frightening, we had been warned though about it. It never happen in Guatamala.

I also spent about a month in El Salvador in 1994, in a village called San Simone, with my 2 friends, one of which was from there, we stayed with his family. My friend came to the USA illegally as a child, his family sent him to escape the civil war. He eventually became a citizen. We visited many towns with his grandmother, who hadn't been able to for so long. War is fought on the streets of small towns.

My other friend and I experienced a little culture shock living in the village. One day we took a walk by ourselves. We walked past the dump in the searing heat, passing women carrying jugs of water on their heads. Our village had running water a few days a week, most of it was saved from rainwater. We walked and walked. I forget if we had a destination in mind.  We soon came up to a huge mass of green grass being watered by sprinklers, lush with trees and shade, like a mirage.  It was fenced in. Outside the fence was a spigot. I think that was for the public.

There were signs saying to keep out, but we were Americans and said the hell with it, we were broiling. We went under or over the fence and saw it was a golf course. Obviously just for the rich.  We were delirious in the cool shade. Sure enough, though, a child soldier with weapons stopped us and I guess asked what we were doing there. We didn't have our passports on us. My friend, fluent in Spanish told him we were visiting and hot and just passing through. He smiled and let us stay. The locals weren't allowed, but Americans were.

Later, on our flight home we had a layover in Costa Rica. My Salvadorean friend's last name was Escobar, at the time the same name as a big heavy Columbian drug dealer. I'm not  white or European. I'm Assyrian, middle eastern. I get very dark when I'm in the sun. I can look like many different nationalities. I remember I was very tan, my hair was very long, I had a white ruffily summery blouse on.  The flight was delayed, Sergio and I had to give our passports over to the authorities. We were young and incensed and also blase. We didn't have any drugs. We had to stay in a roped off part of the waiting area, our other friend who is whiter than white could be on either side. They serve you juice and snacks though. The authorities were very polite. I was impressed by the drama. The flight was delayed almost 3 hours.

When we finally got back to Miami and got our luggage, our suitcases were half open, zippers broken, everything messed up inside. Our other friend's was untouched.

I've heard someone say, that if the native Americans hadn't had such a lax im-migration policy, we wouldn't be in this mess today. If you're here, you migrated, unless you're related to the first primate that walked. Legal racial profiling is a disasterous and inhumane path. It's disturbs me beyond words that people support this.

I'm also quite curious why when the Republicans ruled nothing was done other than a fence or something...