“Itթ§Չ-Չ§s easy to blame migrants, but itթ§Չ-Չ§s probably more useful to blame թ§Չ-Չ and get angry թ§Չ-Չ at the systems that created them.”
A look at the business end of smuggling.
The news of three womenթԹ who pleaded guilty to smuggling Armenian nationals to the United States from Mexico brought the issue of migrant smuggling to Glendale this month.
According to a memo released by the Office of the United States Attorney, Southern District of California, the nationals were charged up to $18,000 each to be brought into the United States. The women pleaded guilty to թ§Չ-ժconspiracy to bring in illegal aliens for financial gain and encouraging and inducing illegal aliens.թ§Չ-Թ
This story reminded me of my own experience meeting refugees who had been illegally smuggled to Europe, a continent that has been on the receiving end of migrant smuggling epidemic for years թ§Չ-Չ where thousands of lives have been lost by those attempting to cross the Mediterranean by boat.
Having paid smugglers their life savings, ranging anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000, refugee after refugee recounted to me the stories of their journeys to Europe in search of better lives as fast as they could find them.
They had no time to wait for sponsorship applications for potential family members abroad, or to properly say goodbye to the relatives they were leaving behind. They had to leave, fast.
Some left blindfolded in cars and were driven across borders. Others spent days hiking through rugged terrain. Months and often years had passed, but they still suffered from post-traumatic stress of the journeys they took, inhibiting them to move on with their lives the way they had intended.
What would persuade someone to pay a stranger thousands of dollars and risk their life to get to another country and start all over again? War, persecution, poverty.
Humans attempting to escape these issues and the people making a profit off their suffering is a large, global, ongoing problem.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, it is estimated that migrant smuggling generates more than $6 billion a year for smugglers operating on routes stretching from Africa to Europe as well as from South America to North America.
The organization estimates the amount people pay to be smuggled ranges from $2,000 to $10,000. Having lived and reported from Armenia, I cannot imagine how the migrants attempting to be smuggled in the United States թ§Չ-Չ in this case involving Glendale residents թ§Չ-Չ even managed to scrape together $18,000 each.
When youթ§Չ-Չ§re desperate, the numbers donթ§Չ-Չ§t always matter, and neither does the journey to get where you want to go, if itթ§Չ-Չ§s (perhaps surprisingly) through Mexico or otherwise.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes recommends that in order to prevent organized criminal groups from profiting off of migrants, the right response would require թ§Չ-ժexamining the issues of migration and development.թ§Չ-Թ
In other words, trying to understand and combat smugglers making illegal and predatory profits off migrants means looking at the context that would breed this kind of underground business in the first place.
The case of nationals trying to leave Armenia isnթ§Չ-Չ§t unique. Everyone is trying to leave everywhere, in search of better opportunities, away from rampant poverty, discrimination and corruption infesting every area of their lives.
Meanwhile, according to Oxfam, 80 people hold the same amount of wealth as the worldթ§Չ-Չ§s 3.6 billion poorest people. Itթ§Չ-Չ§s easy to blame migrants, but itթ§Չ-Չ§s probably more useful to blame թ§Չ-Չ and get angry թ§Չ-Չ at the systems that created them.
—
LIANA AGHAJANIAN is a Los Angeles-based journalist whose work has appeared in L.A. Weekly, Paste magazine, New America Media, Eurasianet and The Atlantic. She may be reached at liana.agh@gmail.com.
glendalenewspress.com
Be the first to comment