Mike: "Observations"

          The focus of this blog will mainly be on the intake process that I have been observing over the past week, which has largely had an impact on my conscience. From the intakes that I have observed, I have gathered that there seems to be a common thread of the reasons for which the unaccompanied minors decided to take upon their treacherous journey to the United States.

            In most cases, violence of different variations seems to be the underlying cause that has frightened minors and families to the extent at which fleeing the homeland is what is necessary. Given that the violence varies from gang persecution to domestic violence, such instances have truly revealed insight into the desperate situations that many of the Central American countries face in this rapidly resource consuming world.

As such, many of the comments that I have heard during the intake process have been in regards to the fantastic world that America presents for many different reasons. Some have claimed the bold statements by virtue of the abundance of wealth within Miami, or even the beautiful Miami weather, safety, education, and job opportunities. Thus, it begs the question as to whether it is right for Americans to be at the forefront of the consuming world. Furthermore, it makes me question whether the “American dream” is different for the incoming immigrants than it is for the past immigrants who have already established a lineage within the United States.

I can only help but think of the concept of the varied definitions of the term, prosperity, which was something that I discussed in a Latino Studies class last semester. It is almost as if I feel that most subsequent generations that are able to provide more for themselves grow to forget the value of the precious things in life that our forefathers worked so hard to achieve. Therefore, it is interesting to see how magical America appears to be to the unexposed eye, when, in reality, the systems driving American life are unstable.

As a side note, the contrast between the group of minors I have engaged with in the Unidad leadership institute and the minors in the detention program has proven to be vast. It has reminded me of how vain are the petty things many Americans long for in life, when, on the other side of the coin, there is only the question of survival.

-Mike