Garth Rattray | Dreaming of heaven, but living in hell

It was only recently that I learnt that an indeterminate number of Jamaican men and women were making the run for the [American] border by going through Mexico. They see Jamaica as an unsafe, dangerous, and futureless ‘hell’. They planned to accumulate enough money, to have cash on hand in order to get to Mexico. Once there, they would check into a hotel and then, somehow, find their way to the Mexican-American border to join the throngs who seek asylum there, or to find and hire a smuggler (a ‘coyote’) to get them across illegally.

A prospective ‘emigrant’ revealed that people like him will sell their belongings, work and save all that they can, or accumulate cash by any means necessary, to attempt the journey. They knew that failure was a significant possibility, but they tenaciously placed all their dreams on the hope that they might be among the lucky ones that somehow ended up on American soil.

Their plan was fluid and depended on the prevailing situation in which they found themselves in Mexico. If they chose to surrender to the border agents, they would seek asylum, although Jamaica has no war, overt political persecution, and/or famine. Because Jamaica is an upper-middle-income country, their petition would hinge on violence, or on a threat of violence. I pointed out that there are several places in America that are more violent than places in Jamaica. That was rebutted by a possible scenario wherein one’s life was being threatened by criminals. There again, I pointed out that the Americans expect that we have a security system in place for such an eventuality.

DENIED ENTRY

I went on to explain that even the petitions of Haitians, who have far more reasons to seek asylum because of their unstable politics, violence, and poverty, are usually denied entry. I explained that ‘people like us’ are often set aside, and that the people now designated as ‘brown’, the people of Hispanic descent, stand a far better chance of admission into the perceived ‘heaven’ that exists in America. Seemingly undaunted, he related anecdotes of one or (possibly) two successes that he heard about. Spending months in detention near the border was not a deterrent to him. Being flimflammed by unscrupulous coyotes, and possibly abandoned in a strange land with a foreign language, did not dim his dreams. Even the risk to his life did not derail his plans.

Of course, many Jamaicans ‘skip’ while on vacation, scholarships, and/or work programmes. They will (literally) do almost anything in order to get to America. They are fully aware that the United States (US) is not truly heaven, but they crave opportunities for socio-economic advancement, self-actualisation, and financial security in later years that they can never realise here in Jamaica.

The American movies, television programmes, situation comedies, and advertisements tend to portray the United States as a wonderful and prosperous land, where people are protected and usually lead happy lives. And, members of the diaspora, living in the US, feel obliged to put their best foot forward in order to validate their existence there. They rarely dwell on the hardships many must face. Some work two or even three jobs just to pay their bills. Most people owe for everything, and own nothing. They must commute in the freezing cold or driving rain. And there is the ever-present racial (colour) prejudice that rears its ugly head ever so often.

CLEAN TOILETS

Because America promises opportunities, some frustrated Jamaicans will leave good, middle-class jobs here and clean toilets and tend to sick people there in order to earn the almighty dollar. There is never anything wrong with honest work, but people rarely highlight the harsh conditions and the paucity of their savings. A friend of mine quipped: many Jamaicans choose to become part of the diaspora to avoid being among those who ‘die as poor yah’.

Having spent over 90 minutes outlining the pitfalls and dangers in his plan, I thought that I had got through to him. However, after our talk, my wife overheard him ardently rehearsing the American national anthem. I was therefore elated to see The Gleaner May 22 piece, ‘Crackdown on Jamaicans as Mexicans plug human-smuggling scheme to US’. My interviewee likened the news to a punch from Mike Tyson.

In order to significantly reduce illegal Jamaican immigration, America needs to increase investment in our education, healthcare, and manufacturing; those are the real anti-crime and pro-prosperity measures. America needs to set up factories in Jamaica because our labour force can be easily trained, is relatively cheap, and we are a very central country. If they facilitate our self-dependency, the ‘heaven’ some seek will appear here on home soil.

Our Government needs to seek funding for education and attract large-scale manufacturing. Corruption is so bad that some people in trusted and responsible positions stymie deals unless they directly benefit financially from any arrangement being made. Fancy speeches won’t stop corruption; action must be taken, no matter what the consequences. People want physical and financial security; they want to own a home. The National Housing Trust has been raided to provide funding for matters totally unrelated to housing – it’s time that more housing be provided for the poor. If the Government provides viable opportunities for advancement, people will stop perceiving Jamaica as a hellish place.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.