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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 2015)
A12 News wallowa.com February 4, 2015 Wallowa County Chieftain What’s up on the Mexican border? By S.F Tool Wallowa County Chieftain Aaron Bobrow-Strain, an associate professor of poli- tics from Whitman College in Walla-Walla, appeared at Fish- trap House Jan. 29 to deliver a talk on U.S./Mexico border relations. Fishtrap invited Bo- brow-Strain to lecture in con- junction with its “Big Read” event focusing on the novel, “Into the Beautiful North.” The professor also lectured to sever- al school classes at Joseph and Enterprise earlier in the day. The standing-room-only lecture focused on the evolu- tion of U.S. border policy as dictated by economics/employ- ment, drugs and even 9/11. He asserted that only recently did U.S. politicians invent and pro- mulgate the idea of illegal im- migration as a problem. Bobrow-Strain argued that until relatively recent times, the U.S. did little to maintain bor- der integrity, although he cited anomalies such as 1915-16 during the Mexican Revolution when Pancho Villa raided sev- eral U.S. border towns although that incident focused on “acts of war” rather than immigra- tion itself. He also mentioned two waves of U.S. expulsion of Hispanic people during the Great Depression and the early 1950s recession. After a brief border histo- ry, Bobrow-Strain’s lecture focused on what he labeled the “invented” border crisis. Although 1965 saw a severe curtailment of opportunities for Hispanic legal immigration, the border remained relatively open. The year 1986 saw the ¿UVW UHDO LPPLJUDWLRQ UHIRUP when President Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act which granted am- nesty to several million Hispan- ics illegally in the U.S. but also greatly increased border patrol funding. Bobrow-Strain went to work near the border in 1993 for an organization with a mis- sion of building trans-border Now in paperback Destroyer Angel an Anna Pigeon novel by Nevada Barr T HE B OOKLOFT Across from the courthouse in Enterprise 107 E. Main • 541.426.3351 always open at www.bookloftoregon.com • bookloft@eoni.com S.F. Tool/Chieftain Professor Aaron Bobrow-Strain makes a point during his Fishtrap lecture. enforcement agency, is today a highly trained, hyper-funded, highly empowered paramilitary agency that went from a po- OLFHPHQWDOLW\WRDZDU¿JKWLQJ mentality — particularly after 9/11. Great Buy! 3 39 $ 77 7 7 57 5 7 $ PA PASSENGER P ASSENGER AS A SSE SS S SEN SE S ENG E EN N NGE NG GE ER G E C CAR CA AR A R relationships. Bobrow-Strain developed relationships with people as varied as illegal im- migrants, “coyotes” (the people who assist in illegal immigra- tion), border patrol agents and others. He added that 1993 saw WKH ¿UVW JOLPPHU RI PDVVLYH changes to U.S. border policy. At that time, California’s governor, Pete Wilson, started a campaign against the “bro- ken” border,” which resulted in then-President Bill Clinton instigating a policy called “Pre- vention through Deterrence.” The program tightened border security at major urban border crossings such as San Diego and El Paso, forcing illegal im- migrants to use more danger- ous desert and mountain routes, particularly in Arizona. From 1995-2010, Arizona became ground zero for ille- gal immigration and drug traf- ¿FNLQJ 7KH 86 VSHQW billion, much of it to outside contractors, building 700 miles of border fence as well improv- ing infrastructure, implement- ing hi-tech surveillance and increasing border personnel to 20,000 agents. In 2013, the U.S. spent more money on the border patrol than on the FBI, DEA, ATF, Secret Service and U.S. Marshal Service com- bined, with enough money left to run the National Park Service with still $1 billion left over. Bobrow-Strain asserted the border patrol, once described to him by a border agent as D MRE IRU SHRSOH ZKR ÀXQNHG out of every other federal law 99 According to Bo- brow-Strain, results of border HPSKDVLV LQFOXGH UDFLDO SUR¿O- ing, lax observance of constitu- tional rights such as search and seizure and due process, as well as huge federal court backlogs All Season Tread Economically Priced P155/80R-13 Great Buy! Tread design may vary. Your size in stock. Call for size and price. All Season Traction Affordable Pricing 175/70R-13 PERFOR PER PE ERF ER RFO RF FOR FO OR RMANCE RMA RM MA A NC NCE N CE PA P AS ASSENGER A SSE SS SEN SE ENG EN NGE NG GER GE ER C CA AR A R Ultra Z900 OUR BEST! 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Also, many illegal immigrants borrow money from U.S. labor contractors to afford the cross- ing, often at such usurious in- terest rates they become little more than indentured servants. Bobrow-Strain doubted the increased security affected the actual number of border cross- ers. Trends showing fewer ille- gal immigrants also correspond with high U.S. unemployment — historically a factor. Re- cent trends show an increase in illegal immigrants as the employment market stabilizes. “It’s unlikely that the biggest buildup of law enforcement in U.S. history really had much of DQLPSDFWRQWKHÀRZRIPLJUD- tion,” he concluded. Attendee Cathy Sterbentz said, “I learned a lot that I didn’t know.” She attended the event because her hometown of Hayward, Calif., is now pre- dominantly Hispanic and she wanted some perspective. Bobrow-Strain said he en- joyed the visit and lectures, par- ticularly at the schools. “I was really struck by how the high school kids and some of the younger kids understand the idea of feeling like you want to stay in a place but kind of have to leave. We talked about how many of them are going to stay in this area. This is a town that has experienced a lot of outward migration and low em- ployment numbers.” Elks Lodge awards scholars The En- terprise Elks selected Ni- kolai Chris- toffersen and Carsen Sajonia, both of Enterprise Sajonia High School, as their 2015 Most Valu- able Student Scholars. Each stu- dent receives a $1,000 scholarship from Enter- Christoffersen prise Lodge #1829 to use next fall for col- lege. Both Christoffersen and Sajonia advanced to the Or- egon Elks Northeast District Scholarship contest on Jan. 3 in Hermiston, and both re- ceived 1st place awards in the district competition as well. Sajonia is the daughter of Brian Sajonia, of Arizona, and Teresa Sajonia, of Joseph. Christoffersen is the son of Nils and Anette Christoffers- en of Enterprise.
