4 | The Villanovan
NEWS
Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Lepage Center Hosts Event Covering Migration in the U.S. Isabella Irwin Staff Writer Erin Costa Staff Writer The Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest has been holding scholarly lectures and discussions addressing the theme of turning points in history. On Wednesday, Nov. 3, the topic was Central American human displacement and migration. This webinar detailed the history of Central American migration, focusing on the roles that racialization and U.S military intervention played in emigration from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Raul Diego Rivera Hernandez moderated three scholars, Leisy Abrego, Ph.D., Amelia Frank Vitale, Ph.D. and Jason De León, Ph.D., in their discussion of the history and impact of migration from Central America. The first question discussed how both the political and social turbulence that plagued the Northern triangle of Central America and American intervention affected Central American migration. Abrego responded with regard to El Salvador, explaining the “long history of military repression that has marked the people and country.” She described the 1932 massacre of 30,000 mostly indigneous Salvadorians at the hands of Salvadoran soldiers for protesting oppressive government policies. She asserted that such violence, coupled with extreme government impunity, effectively silenced people. Vitale asserted that large-scale migration out of Honduras did not happen until after Hurricane Mitch, which destroyed the physical and
social networks of the country. She also discussed how U.S. intervention impacted immigration. Vitale emphasized that the relationship between the U.S. and Honduras is “militaristic and imperial.” In 2009, there was a coup that removed President Manuel Zelaya from power, instating Roberto Micheletti. In 2017, Micheletti ran again knowing the U.S. would back him, further solidifying this “facade of democracy”. In 2018, an “exodus” of Honduras exploded following these fraudulent elections. De León further discussed how U.S. intervention played a role in migration from Honduras and Mexico. He explained that the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) was “supposed to be a bilateral trade agreement,” but instead, has restricted and limited citizens to “making Levi jeans for no money.” Thus, U.S. intervention has made life unlivable for Central Americans, forcing them to migrate. The Reagan administration poured money into the Honduran military with the onset of the Contras in Nicaragua. Honduras was then “primed for an American style militarization” (De León). This led to widespread kidnappings, which ramped up violence, making life even more unlivable for citizens. In 2014, Honduras was branded a humanitarian crisis as Hondurans “poured out.” Hernandez’s second question asked the speakers to reflect on the impact and consequences of U.S. immigration policies on migrants. De León explained that most immigrants from Central America attempt to apply for asylum but are strategically deterred by long waiting periods at border camps. He said that these deterrents are a “primary brutalization tactic” of the U.S. government. Among the
many consequences of these deterrent tactics is an increase in unsafe and illegal immigration, which often leads to death and endangerment of Central American migrants. Vitale attributed the origin of Central American migrant caravans to safe passage through Central America. Human rights activists started these caravans in 2011, but the Guadio Nationale (Mexican National Guard) and the U.S. government have since employed militaristic tactics at caravans to effectively decrease migration. This creates an even greater increase in unsafe migration through remote areas. Abrego highlighted the prevalence of family separation at the border due to U.S. immigration policies beginning in the 1980s. She explained how family separation was prevalent long before the Trump administration, despite the attention it garnered under him. Families were kept and detained in different places, which further victimized migrants. She affirmed that such problems with U.S. immigration policy have culminated throughout past administrations. Lastly, Hernandez asked the scholars to explain their thoughts regarding the racialization and legality of immigrant communities. Abrego began by explaining the racialization of Central Americans in the U.S., which she witnessed first-hand growing up in the Southwest. Abrego talked about how Central Americans are portrayed as inherently “violent people who threaten the capitalist system of the U.S.” She argued that this rhetoric developed further under the Trump administration, as he viewed Central American migrants as gang members and drug dealers. Furthermore, she highlighted that the “illegal” status that U.S. immigration policy perpetuates makes it even harder for migrants
to “thrive.” De León explained that “migration is a highly racialized space.” He spoke about how social scientists only write about Mexican males as migrants, but “the diversity of those groups are much deeper.” De León further discussed how “indigeneity and skin tone” are often looked at with regard to migrants. He referenced the recent photo that emerged of a Haitian border patrol agent whipping a man, asserting that this was only “unique” because there was a photo, and that such acts are extremely prevalent. Vitale built off De León’s argument, explaining that the “illegalization of people contributes to the violence of racialization.” She described how in Mexico, Central Americans are considered “illegal and it is their lack of legal status that puts them in danger.” Vitale recounted a story from her research in Central America, in which a Honduran man was told to change his name to sound more Mexican so he would not be targeted by organized crime groups. Additionally, she argued that the intersection of an illegal status with race is not unique to the U.S., as the marginalization and criminalization of migrants, more specifically men, happens as “they move through border and immigrant systems who continue to view them as illegal.” This webinar served as an insightful discussion of turning points in history with regard to Central American migration. Abrego, Vitale and De León shared their extensive knowledge and research into this topic. To attend future webinars, The Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest has a website dedicated to the Turning Point Event Series.
Congress Passes $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Alexandra Spath Staff Writer On Friday, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which President Joe Biden will sign into law this week as a major part of his economic agenda. The bill includes $550 billion in new federal investments in U.S. infrastructure over a period of five years. In a press conference Saturday, President Biden called the bill “a once-in-a-generation investment that’s going to create millions of jobs modernizing our infrastructure — our roads, our bridges, our broadband, a whole range of things — to turn the climate crisis into an opportunity.” According to projections from the Congressional Budget Office, the bill will add approximately $256 billion to the federal deficit over the next decade. To finance this new spending package, the federal government will repurpose unspent COVID-19 emergency relief funds and strengthen tax enforcement for cryptocurrencies. The bill will allocate $110
billion for roads, bridges and major infrastructure projects, along with an additional $40 billion for bridge repair, rehabilitation and replacement. Twenty percent of the highways and major roads in the U.S. are in poor condition, as are 45,000 bridges. These measures are intended to ensure safe travel and efficient transportation of goods. The bill also includes provisions to upgrade airports, ports and waterways. The bill allocates $39 billion to modernize and expand public transportation to meet environmental goals and rider demand. These measures would update railways and bus fleets, make transit more accessible and introduce public transportation to communities that lack it. The package also includes $1 billion to reconnect communities that have been divided by highways and other infrastructure projects. This issue primarily affects disproportionately Black neighborhoods. The funding will be used to plan, demolish and reconstruct street grids, parks and other infra-
structure. The improvements proposed in the infrastructure bill are in line with the Biden Administration’s climate agenda. The package includes provisions to implement zero- and low-emission buses and ferries, build a nationwide network of plug-in electric vehicle chargers and expand renewable energy. These efforts reflect the commitment that President Biden, European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson have made to addressing the climate crisis through infrastructure. On Nov. 11, these three world leaders endorsed five key principles for infrastructure development, the first of which states that “infrastructure should be climate resilient and developed through a climate lens.” The bill is intended not only to improve infrastructure and address climate change, but also to create new job opportunities for Americans. According to the White House, these investments, along with Biden’s Build Back Better
Agenda, are projected to add around two million jobs per year over the course of the decade. These jobs will become available in all different parts of the country, including areas deeply impacted by the recent decline in manufacturing jobs, and most of them will not require a college degree. According to President Biden, “this is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America. And it’s long overdue.” While the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a major victory for Biden’s agenda, he has yet to secure the passage of the Build Back Better Act, a major spending bill aimed at reducing the costs of childcare and eldercare, making healthcare and prescriptions more affordable and reducing taxes for the working class. During the press conference on the bipartisan infrastructure package, Biden looked forward to this next piece of legislation, saying “I’m also proud that the House took a big step toward — forward to pass my Build Better — my Build Back Better Act, which for the week of Nov. 15, they’re going to be taking up.”
