Bringing the Marginalized into Conversations about American Raciality - Erin Kane - Keely Gaeta - Emily Norris

THE TRANSFORMATION (OR LACK THEREOF) OF THE REFUGEE

Espiritu describes Vietnamese refugees as unwanted discards of U.S. war with Vietnam. Unfortunately, as the author describes, the U.S., both past and present, has been a refugee creating country. And while the U.S. does attempt to maintain its benevolent image through receiving thousands of refugees a year, it is crucial to look beyond the surface. Many of the bases credited with their generous role in housing refugees were directly responsible for the displacement of around 12 million South Vietnamese, and possibly even more North Vietnamese. This contradictory and hypocritical behavior of the U.S. in the context of refugees is still present. In 2017, the third highest country of origin for refugee and asylum seekers entering the U.S. was Mexico. With the passing of NAFTA, the Mexican economy has been highly intertwined with the U.S. to the extent of 88.66 percent of Mexican exports going to the United States. This means, whenever there is a financial crisis in the U.S., Mexico faces those consequences as well. Mexico was more affected by the 2008 U.S. financial crisis more than any Latin American country. That same year, the rate for Mexican asylum seekers began to drop. It is easy to conclude that the U.S. noticed its role in the decline in Mexico's economy, and instead of accepting those who were hit so hard, they had to leave the country, they instead treated them similarly to Vietnamese refugees: unwanted discards of U.S. economic consequences. Mexicans seeking refugee status under the current administration have been thrust into the spotlight as the "unwanted refugee" more than ever. In order for the U.S. to restore its reputation to a country that fosters an environment for refugees seeking peace (in any sense), it must reflect on its discriminatory policies and learn from its past mistakes.

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