Dispatches from the Borderlands: "They Came at Night, Trying to Kill Us!"

Religion Dispatches by Manuel A. Vasquez | Oct. 13, 2008 (Opinion)

Despite clear differences of degree and historical context, the cases of anti-immigrant violence in South Africa and the United States demonstrate the urgency of tackling the issue of unauthorized immigration. Particularly in this climate of economic uncertainty, failure to do so only heightens the potential for destructive episodes of violence that may result in the loss of human life and tear the democratic fiber of our society. There may be those who ... Full Story »

Posted by Evan Derkacz

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Subjects: World, U.S., Politics, Media, Religion
Topics: Immigration, Media and Politics
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Posted by: Posted by Evan Derkacz - Oct 13, 2008 - 1:10 PM PDT
Reviewed by: Evan Derkacz (review), Fabrice Florin (review), Sandip Roy (review), Marsha Iverson (review)
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Edited by: Derek Hawkins - Oct 21, 2008 - 1:27 PM PDT
Related Comments: Immigration (7)

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Sandip Roy
3.9
 by Sandip Roy - Oct. 13, 2008

It puts the story of immigration here in more of a global context by comparing the situation in South Africa. It takes awhile to get to the parallels and at the beginning it seems to be unsure about whether its a reporting piece, an opinion piece or news analysis.

See Full Review » (11 answers)
Marsha Iverson
4.4
 by Marsha Iverson - Oct. 13, 2008

Vásquez cites sobering examples of violence and persecution of 'the other'--a phenomenon that escalates as our choices are diminished and our standards of living drop.

It is always easier to blame the 'other' than to face our own shortcomings or inability to change our own circumstances no matter how hard we try. We will better understand the plight of immigrants when we are forced to emigrate to survive. Until then, I believe we will be happier, stronger, and healthier if we work together for the common good.

As we seek solutions to the problem of undocumented immigration, we must resist the temptation of thinking only from the perspective of the nation-state. We must see how ... More »

See Full Review » (12 answers)
Fabrice Florin
3.5
 by Fabrice Florin - Oct. 21, 2008
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Evan Derkacz
4.1
 by Evan Derkacz - Oct. 13, 2008

This isn't the easiest story but it is an important contribution from a scholar on the ground, a departure from much of the pure ideology you see surrounding this issue.

Disclosure: Evan is involved in this story as an editor (review not included in overall rating). Help
Evan posted this story.
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