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Jan 1, 1000
Turtle Island
Before the arrival of European colonizers, the land now known as North America (United States, Canada, Mexico) was named Turtle Island. This map represents the geographical divisions of the different Origin Nations of Turtle Island. European colonizers established the US, Canada, and Mexico in and on Turtle Island. Indigenous communities still exist today, but have been displaced from their original lands and relegated to reservations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bOgYTscNOM -
European Colonization: Manifest Destiny
Violent colonization and genocide of indigenous people began at the arrival of the Spanish in 1492, and spread across all of the Americas. Manifest destiny was the colonizers' belief that they had a God-given right to all of the land from coast to coast. This belief motivated the establishment of the 13 colonies (1607-1776), and continuous expansion towards what is now California and the current southern border (1848). -
New Spain ---> Mexico
The Spanish rule of Mexico ended in 1821 with the Mexican people's victory in the War of Independence. The land mass in green marks the colonized land that was known as Nueva España under the Spanish crown with Tenochtitlan, the Aztec Empire, as its capital. After the war, the Treaty of Córdoba was signed, which recognized the Mexican Empire as a independent. This monarchy was not accepted by the people, and the Republic of Mexico was founded in 1824. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The two year Mexican American War ended on February 2, 1848 with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty would expand the United States all the way to the west coast, and move the Southern border to the Rio Grande. The land included in the treaty is what is now known as Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. This was an expansion of about 525,000 square miles. Northern Mexicans recognize this as the moment when "the border crossed us." -
The Gadsden Purchase
The US and Mexico did not officially mark the border until after The Gadsden Purchase was finalized in 1854. Despite the US already acquiring more than half of Mexico's land mass in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, conflict after the war led the United States to negotiate the purchase of another 29,670 square miles of Mexico. This purchase allowed for the construction of the US transcontinental railroad.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/gadsden-purchase -
The First Border Divisions Constructed
After the Gadsden Purchase, a line across the border was marked. This photo of an engraved stone was one of the first pieces of "fence" along the 1,951 mile long US-Mexico border. People flowed to and from the United States and Mexico with relative ease because of the low surveillance at the time. The fence was originally built to control the movement of cattle that was threatening the delicate environment at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. -
Deportation: Mexican Repatriation
During the Great Depression, which lasted from 1929 to until the mid 1930's, Mexican people were targeted for mass deportation, regardless of whether or not they were citizens. About 2 million Mexicans were deported. Of those, about 1.2 million were US citizens. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMZt9B7ZHXE -
Immigration: The Bracero Program (1942-1964)
The Bracero program was one of several exploitative guest worker programs that the US & Mexico agreed upon. Programs such as this one provided legal entry across the border to Mexicans, and cheap labor to the US before, during, and after WWII (1939-1945). The program presented a false promise of safety and stability for Mexican people, as many reported wage theft and violence upon arrival. About 4.6 million Mexicans enlisted as Braceros. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGeB7kG6Q88 -
Deportation: The War on Drugs & Operation Intercept
Since fences had been so useful in keeping animals out of the US, the Nixon administration decided to use militarized barrier tactics along the border to stop the flow of drugs from entering the US from Mexico. Operation Intercept was officially enacted in 1969. Thousands of border agents were deployed to conduct random searches on all entries via air or land. This caused Mexico to feel resentment towards the US for not consulting with them on the issue. -
Border Security & Amnesty: Immigration Reform & Control Act
The Immigration Reform & Control Act was implemented under President Reagan. It provided a path to citizenship for about 2.7 million undocumented people who met certain requirements. This bill was promoted as a "crackdown" on illegal immigration. It would increase border security by providing more funding to the Department of Homeland Security and penalize companies hiring undocumented workers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu-ppj32Qtg -
More Construction: San Diego to the Pacific Ocean
Friendship Park at Imperial Beach in San Diego, CA was founded by First Lady Pat Nixon after she famously stated "I hope there won't be a fence here too long" during a trip to the border. For decades, this was the only place families divided by immigration could meet freely. In 1994, Operation Gatekeeper was enacted, which led to the construction of a fence into the Pacific Ocean. More fencing and beams have been added since, and meetings in the park are very limited.
http://bit.ly/2oVoo6g -
14 More Miles: Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act
President Clinton signed IIRIRA into law in 1996. Under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act:
-5,000 more border patrol agents were stationed along the border
-$12 million were put towards 14 more miles of triple-fence
-Border patrol was able to purchase more night-vision goggles, four wheel drive vehicles, and helicopters. Listen to President Clinton speak about immigration here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3yesvvYEvs -
Immigration Policy Post 9/11
After 9/11, immigration policy became the focus of national security. The possibility for reform with pathways to citizenship became even less likely. Attention was focused on increasing security along the border to prevent the entry of "terrorists," but there also was and continues to be increased discrimination against Muslim people, or those perceived to be Muslim. Interestingly, all of the participants of the 9/11 attacks had entered the US legally on visas. http://bit.ly/2oYzZT9 -
Virtual Walls
As strange as it sounds, virtual border fence was once thought to be the greatest innovation in border security. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on this project. The virtual fence was not the success its advocates hoped for. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qs8qpS8LA8 -
700 More Miles: The Secure Fence Act
President Bush signed this bill into law in 2006 and promoted it as "an important step towards immigration reform." The bill funded a proposed 700 miles of fencing along the southern border, vehicle barriers, checkpoints, floodlights, cameras, satellites, aerial vehicles, etc. -
Increased Militarization & Deportation
Immigration reform failed to pass in 2013 under President Obama, which did provide some possibilities of legalization for undocumented immigrants. In Obama's own words, it was also "the biggest commitment to border security in our nation's history." The bill would have added 6.5 billion dollars to the Department of Homeland Security's budget. Watch the following video for details on the Corker-Hoeven Ammendment for details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHGhckMg-a8 -
Border Security and Immigration Enforcement
One of President Trump's main campaign promises was the construction of an impenetrable wall that would completely secure the nearly 2,000 mile US-Mexico border. He has also promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, but Mexican president Peña Nieto has refused that proposal.
There are serious political, humanitarian, and environmental concerns associated with this proposal.
http://bit.ly/2qt9vcy
http://bit.ly/29WSsZS
http://bit.ly/2pvoYJV -
The US-Mexico Border Today
The US Mexico border today is heavily militarized, with most of the fencing, surveillance, and weaponry stationed in urban or high traffic crossing zones. This means that when people do cross, they have to go through much longer routes, rural dessert, and dangerous terrain. US Customs and Border Patrol is the largest, most funded federal agency in the country. Their goal is prevention through militarization. Please watch the following videos:
http://bit.ly/2oXPJpy
http://bit.ly/2qt08Kc
