When I went home to El Paso over the summer, the sight of the border wall struck me. It wasn’t that I didn’t know it was coming or that I was upset that it was built, but because there now existed a clear distinction between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. 

This distinction has become even clearer now with the increasing violence in Juarez and the increasing number of people who are unaware of what is going on in a country that shares our southern border and a large amount of our people’s heritage.

In 2009, according to a tally kept by the El Paso Times, 1,900 people have been murdered in Juarez, shot because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, all the while Mexican police officials continue to discover decapitated bodies in public places.

How many more people have to die for Americans to care? Border safety isn’t a political issue. It’s a human rights issue, and if we have the power to help our border neighbors, we should.

Immigration has always been a conflicting issue for me.  I believe that immigrants are essential to progress, but that process has to be completed legally. But now that I see Mexicans coming into El Paso as refugees, I don’t see how we can turn a blind eye from danger.

If Americans don’t start to pay attention, the violence will spread into our border cities, and we will have major issues. It is important to remember that most of this violence is occurring because two drug cartels are fighting over trade routes and street sales.  Do we really want that in our cities?

I don’t think we should interfere in countries when the main issue is religious difference or governmental control, but we cannot turn a blind eye to a country that is in need of reform and directly influences life in America. 

How can we handle the immigration issue? By doing the ultimate American act of helping restore order in a country that is drowning in chaos.