Dying to Get In

“I would rather live than attain liberty.” A Mexican immigrant in the documentary “Dying to Get In” said this about coming to America. This statement is in direct conflict with what is actually going on at our border with Mexico. Over three thousand people have attempted to cross our border with Mexico illegally in the last year. Of those three thousand that attempted, nearly one thousand died. This staggering statistic shows that the statement made above is a view that few possible border-crossers have. Why are there so many deaths? Its starts with the condition that these people are walking through. With temperatures ranging from 120°F to 32°F, food and water limited, and deadly coyote leaders, it is no surprise that so many have died. Children who cross with there parents are the reason for some of the deaths as well. Children do not have the strength or the stamina to make it through the harsh Southwest desert. If there is such a great chance of dying, then why do the people risk it?
Much of the illegal immigration is based on the economic situation in Mexico. In a poll presented in the film, four out of five migrants would have rather stayed in their own country, but because they could not feed their families they had to leave.. If there are no jobs in their towns and they are unable to get sufficient food because of the climate, then they would most likely die so it makes sense to attempt to cross. They make this trip to try to improve their children’s lives as well as their own. One migrant told of how he came here so that his son could become a doctor. In this situation I too feel that I would make the trek.