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February 11, 2012 Texans on wrong side of border fence grow anxious.

Summary: This article is about increasing border control. The government is planning on building large metal gates along the border of US and Mexico. However, because of the lush area in Rio Grande, Texas, the border is being pushed back in certain areas. This means some landowners could be stuck on the wrong side of the border. The plan is to give the landowners passwords for the punch code in order to open the gate. The hope is that the gate will help keep out violence, immigrants, and drug Cartel’s. However, Texans are still worried about becoming victims of crimes such as kidnapping. They are also worried about how fast reinforcement will get to the gates if there is a problem. Many have pointed out that illegal immigrants can easily climb the gates. One man, Paul Loop, stated, "Any drug dealer is going to know anyone on this side has a way out.”

Relevance: Immigration became very prevalent in the Progressive Era. There were a lot of people immigrating to the U.S. from all over the world for a better life. Everyone coming to America was looking to find jobs, better housing, and money to send back to families in their homeland. This worried Americans because immigrants were usually willing to work for lower wages and in worse conditions then what Americans were willing to work for. This is a main reason why people were against imperializing the Philippines after the Spanish-American War; they did not want Filipinos coming to America and taking their jobs. This was also a cause to the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. During the California Gold Rush, the state saw a large increase in Chinese immigration. Once again these immigrants provided cheap labor, and being mostly healthy men, they did not use facilities such as schools or hospitals. However racial tension grew as more and more Chinese immigrants came to America. They were discriminated against and prevented from success. Today the same thing is happening to Mexicans that happened not only to the Chinese, but many other immigrates during the Progressive Era. Mexicans are all coming to America for the same reasons as most of the other immigrants. They are mostly looking for jobs to provide for families living back in Mexico or they are looking for a better life. However, just like before Americans are worried about immigrants taking jobs from Americans. But unlike the Progressive Era, Americans are also worried about crime because of the drug Cartel’s coming from Mexico. During 1912 Americans in Mexico were terrorized because of President Wilson’s decision to support the Carranza. This kind of terrorization is what Americans on the other side of the border are worried about.

Explanation: In the past years there have been many more illegal immigrants coming into America looking for work, and possibly taking those jobs away from Americans. Demographic changes revolve around how our world changes based on births, marriage, deaths, population, and immigration. The border is all a result of illegal immigration. The government is not against Mexicans coming to America to become an American; however, they do care about Mexicans living in America illegally. The buildings of the new gates are going to affect many American families that are caught on the wrong side. These families now have to worry about entering a pass code to pass through the gates every day. They also have to worry about Mexicans using them to get on the other side or being effected by crime. Being an American they should be able to live on American soil and not behind a gate.

Questions: 1) How many homes are being affected by the border? 2) Is there another way to prevent homes from being stuck on the other side of the border? 3) How much security will be patrolling the border? 4) What is the government doing to keep the families on the other side of the border safe? 5) Are families located on the other side of the border given the opportunity to move? 6) Do landowners have a say in the building in the gates?

"Beyond the Border - Immigration Issues | PBS." //PBS: Public Broadcasting Service//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. .

"Chinese Exclusion Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. .

"Texans On Wrong Side Of Border Fence Grow Anxious | Fox News." //Fox News - Breaking News Updates | Latest News Headlines | Photos & News Videos//. N.p., 11 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. .

"The Chinese Exclusion Act: A Black Legacy." //Chinese Exclusion Act//. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. < http://sun.menloschool.org/~mbrody/ushistory/angel/exclusion_act/>.