Dehumanizing humans

The poem “Second Attempt Crossing”, by Javier Zamora is a beautiful poem that through the use of imagery, describes a traumatic moment in his life. Javier at nine years old had to cross the border to get to his family in the U.S. Yet, this process to cross withholds so many dangers to anyone who crosses it in hopes for a better life. Throughout history in the U.S. people who have migrated here from many other countries have been subjugated to discrimination and dehumanization. They have been dehumanized all for the dream of giving their families a better life. Which in all makes no sense since these lands belong to Native Americans who lived here first, therefore why are these white people deciding who belongs where? Why do they hold the power to place immigrants where they please or deem fitting? Yet, Javier through his poems writes the truth about these “animals” that protect each other when crossing from the gringos who are trying to shoot them. La Migra for years has hunted and abused their power when trying to obey the laws and not let people cross into the states. They do this by shooting, killing, raping, and trafficking these immigrants. They feel the need to dehumanize a person because of where they come from, how they look and speak. In recent news, my blood boiled to hear that in 2023 an eight-year-old little girl was found at the border with 67 DNA inside her from being raped. Yet no further investigation has been continued or outed to the public who rages alongside me. Since most evidence points out that she was raped by border control workers, most of them are filth, scum of the earth. Just as Javier describes his personal experience of being threatened to be shot by a border control worker. He at the same time grieves for his friend Chino who protected him from that shooting.

 Chino was a man who was affiliated with a well-known gang in San Salvador that reached into the states, mainly in the Los Angeles area. Chino being labeled by the rest of the world as a criminal, still risked his life in saving a child with his body as a shield for Javier to live. Yes, he was a criminal, and who knows what he did, which is why I won’t justify or glorify his actions. Yet, Chino still risked his life for a child whom he had never known, and for that, he became a hero for Javier. Therefore, a question that I have for Javier is, who is the audience that you want to reach with your poems? Reading his bibliography, he talks about the identity struggles of being a Mexican American. Yet, these poems switch from Spanish to the English language making it difficult for non-Spanish speakers to understand. Especially when Latino Spanish is not “proper” Spanish to the rest of the world. Therefore, that makes it difficult for English speakers to try to understand the point that he is trying to get across. His point being that immigrants are no less than any other human in this world, given the label that they’ve been put under, they will still overcome any form of discrimination. They surpass this because of the camaraderie and union within our races to help one another. They are humans and even with all the oppression they face, it is up to us, their offspring, to spread awareness. To rise further than the goals that white Americans have for us, surpass them, and bring equality to ALL immigrants from ALL countries.

~ Jeshua Rocha