The mob mentality of those protesting the Central American migrants who were shuttled to a detention center in Murrieta, California typifies a rage against Otherness in the United States that hasn’t been seen in a long time. The irony is that at the moment when border crossings are at 40 year lows, nativists, racists, and others who let fear rule their emotions speak of an immigration crisis of epic proportions. Yes, there is a crisis among migrant groups, but it’s a humanitarian one.
Bethania Palma Markus has written a powerful piece about the uptick in deaths among migrants due to dehydration during their journey to the US through desert conditions. In this Truthout Interviews, Bethania recounts her experience with the volunteer group Eagles of the Desert, that looks for migrants in distress, but unfortunately, often finds the human skeletal remains of those who perished in the desert. Moreover, she discusses some of the structural changes in both border security and free trade agreements (i.e., NAFTA) creating conditions that pushed people from their homes in search of work to journey into environmentally inhospitable areas because of barriers posed by border fences and increased military presence in borderland towns. Among those who survive the grueling trek to the US, some get apprehended by immigration agents and sent to detention camps (often run by private companies). Detainees in these camps often work in economic conditions that are close to slave labor. Paid around a dollar a day, many detainees are assigned maintenance and food prep work in the detention center. The extremely cheap labor force adds to the profits of the GEO Group and Corrections Corporation of America (who run many of these centers). Because these companies employ detainees to do work for them, they do not have to pay legal workers in the US a minimum wage and offer benefits to do the same jobs. So while migrants from Central America have become a symbol of Otherness for nativist and racist rage, the reality of migrants who face possible death in the desert or exploitation by corporations in detention camps is where the collective outrage of Americans should be focused.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
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