The Perspectives That Divide Us - Rockhurst University

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The boy who was left behindEnrique’s Journey tells one smallbut powerful story. It’s about a boynamed Enrique whose mother leaveshim and his sister in search of betterwages in the United States. Becauseof the money she sends, Enrique hasnew clothes every year and is able tocontinue his education. But nothingcan make up for his mother’s absence,so he decides to go find her. Withjust a phone number, he embarks ona difficult and emotional journey.Reading the book during my tripwas phenomenal. I was blown awayby the descriptions in the story thatparalleled exactly what I was witnessingin El Salvador. The dire economicsituations in Central American countriesleave citizens with few optionsto make a living. I realized that conditionsmade it basically impossiblefor them to have anything close to thelifestyle I was living. In El Salvador,I found out with my minimal Spanishthat almost everyone I met had afamily member living in the UnitedStates. They all expressed wishing tomake the trip themselves someday.It was bizarre to hear about the highwages in United States, when I knowthe uneducated Salvadorans are goinginto my country to make minimumwage — less than I make as a student.In El Salvador, our group visitedthe Jesuit university in San Salvador,where we met several Americans. Oneof them was Tom Gill, a Saint LouisUniversity graduate who runs thestudy abroad house for Americanstudents. He told us about his recenttrip that followed the migration ofSalvadorans into the United States,an experience similar to the onedescribed in Enrique’s Journey. Tomwent on buses through El Salvadorto Guatemala and then into Mexico.While he traveled legally with passports,he watched many Salvadoransstruggle to make the trip without suchluxury. As he told us his amazingstory, I thought of the book I wasreading. What a coincidence betweenSonia Nazario and Tom Gill and theexperiences they shared.After talking with the othercoordinators, we decided Enrique’sJourney should be the book that we’dask freshmen to read, and Tom Gillshould be invited to campus to leadthe book discussion. Tom agreed andcame to campus in August. Whilespeaking with the freshmen, he usedhis experience and Jesuit educationto paint a picture of the dire situationin El Salvador. His passion for theissue was clear as he explained whypeople leave and described thehorrific human rights violationsthat occur on their trips throughMexico toward el Norte.10 Ro c k h u r s t4w i n t e r 2007
No easy answersI’ve learned immigration is anissue of both policy and social justice.But I still have so many questions.What makes people leave theircountries? Why are they subjectedto human rights violations on theirjourneys? How are they treated in theUnited States? Do they like it? Or dothey hope to return to their homecountry? Can they afford to?But immigration has no easyanswers. This became apparent tome this summer during the senate’sdebate over the proposed immigrationbill. I interned for a Nebraskasenator and heard many opinions onthe bill and immigration in general.This experience left me more confusedthan ever, but it motivated me toeducate myself. I couldn’t be happierthat it has become a theme for thisyear at Rockhurst. This importanttopic will not only be a huge issue inthe next election, it will be a majorissue throughout my lifetime.I am committed to using whatI’ve learned about immigration forthe rest of my life, and I’ll start byvoting for political candidates whohave good ideas for solving theproblems that exist. As a student ina Jesuit university, I believe that everyonedeserves equal rights as humanbeings. I’ll never forget my springbreak trip and how it hasforever changed my perspectiveon the world.Kate Quinn is a junior from Omaha, Neb.She is pursuing majors in economics andpolitical science and a minor in nonprofitleadership studies.Immigration bythe Numbers• Of the 35.7 million foreignbornpeople in the UnitedStates in 2004, 10.3 millionare undocumented.• Every year, more than 1 millioncome legally and illegally fromall regions of the world.• 81 percent of the undocumentedpopulation is from Latin America.• Nearly half of the undocumentedpopulation is concentrated inthree states: California, Texasand Florida.• About 7.2 million undocumentedmigrants were employed inMarch 2005, which representedabout 4.9 percent of the civilianlabor force.• Median earnings of Mexicanmigrant workers are$300 per week.Source: Pew Hispanic Center, pewhispanic.orgEl Salvador, home to two mountainranges and several volcanoes, hasnearly 7 million people. A third ofthem live in poverty.The Jesuit ResponseThe Jesuit Conference has joinedthe U.S. Conference of CatholicBishops in calling for comprehensiveimmigration reform that providesa path to legalization for theundocumented, reunites familiesand focuses on developing thecountries from which they come.Learn more at www.jesuit.org.Ro c k h u r s t4w i n t e r 2007 11
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The Perspectives That Divide Us - Rockhurst University

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