The barrier that divides: One city, dos lenguas

By |

EL PASO – Blue-eyed, brunette, and light-complexioned Michael Alden has called El Paso his home for nearly all his life. Alden, 24, was born and raised in El Paso, graduated from Franklin High in 2007 and attended UTEP before leaving to live in California. Although El Paso is recognized as a bilingual and bicultural community, Alden does not speak fluent Spanish, the language that many of us hear on a daily basis. While he is not Hispanic, he has on more than one occasion been in a situation where Spanish speakers assumed he spoke Spanish. “It is difficult sometimes,” Alden said.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio on trial

By |

RIO RICO, Ariz. – When I was a little boy living in a small town in western Pennsylvania, it was the Italians that were disliked and discriminated against. They were the people that had darker skin, large families, spoke with accents, cooked “different” food, and were falsely accused of almost any problem our town had. Strange, isn’t it, that three prominent Italians – Justice Scalia, Secretary Napolitano, and Sheriff Arpaio – have taken such a hard stance against Hispanics, including those that are US. citizens.

Immigration Integration is a term used to describe immigrants who have the same opportunities as natives. (Jesus Sanchez/Borderzine.com)

The integration of immigrants into society benefits them and their new country

By |

EL PASO — When an immigrant in France is stopped and searched by police in a subway or airport, nobody looks twice. In France where immigrants are usually Muslims, North Africans, or Algerian that police action is a routine daily activity. In the United States, where immigrant usually means Mexican, we would see that profiling by police as a violation of human rights. But the United States is not the only country with immigration issues. Other countries around the globe also have to deal with immigrants entering their country illegally such as Central Americans migrating to Mexico.