Migrant dreams

When the image of the upside-down body of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian refugee, in Turkey, came to light, the world had promised that this would not happen again. That image is now four years-old. But things have not become any better for migrants. If anything, they have gotten worse. Now, the world has been haunted again by the images of a father and two-year-old daughter – Oscar and Angie Valeria – drowned in each other’s arms trying to cross the Rio Grande to enter US soil from the Mexican border. The family wanted a better life for themselves in a world that is upside down. It is no secret that much of the violence in Central and Latin America today is a legacy of a long history of US intervention in the region. It was only fair that, as penance for its role, the US accepted refugees from some of these countries. When everything had gone down the drain in their home country, they could still dream of entering US soil and building a better life. It would not be easy, but at least their children would live a happier life.

This, no doubt, is a myth that has attracted many refugees to cross the increasingly perilous path into American soil. While the world mourned the death of the father and daughter, the photos were used in the heavily divided debate on immigration in the US. If anything, the path is set to get more treacherous after US President Trump bullied the Mexican president into creating a new border patrol force – and curb illegal migration into the US. This has come as more and more attention has started to be focused on the inhumane conditions inside refugee detention centres across the US.

Unicef has spoken out again the dire conditions in detention centres. Democratic presidential candidates have made token visits to some detention centres to show that they are on the other side of the debate, but there is little reflection on how the last eight years of Democratic rule under Obama continued much of the same policies. What Trump has changed is the environment – making migration the key question for the American public. Will the gut-wrenching images of Oscar and Angie sway the conscience of the US public as another presidential election approaches? Will the US be considered a haven for migrants with dreams once again? Much work remains to be done.