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CaboRon
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Aiding and Abetting
Profs Develop Smart Phone for Illegals
Tuesday, 29 Dec 2009 12:14 PM Article Font Size
SAN DIEGO – A group of California artists wants Mexicans and Central Americans to have more than just a few cans of tuna and a jug of water for their
illegal trek through the harsh desert into the U.S.
Faculty at University of California, San Diego are developing a GPS-enabled cell phone that tells dehydrated migrants where to find water and pipes in
poetry from phone speakers, regaling them on their journey much like Emma Lazarus' words did a century ago to the "huddled masses yearning to breathe
free" on Ellis Island.
The Transborder Immigrant Tool is part technology endeavor, part art project. It introduces a high-tech twist to an old debate about how far activists
can go to prevent migrants from dying on the border without breaking the law.
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Immigration hardliners argue the activists are aiding illegal entry to the United States, a felony. Even migrants and their sympathizers question
whether the device will make the treacherous journeys easier.
The designers — three visual artists on UCSD's faculty and an English professor at the University of Michigan — are undeterred as they criticize a
U.S. policy they say embraces illegal immigrants for cheap labor while letting them die crossing the border.
"It's about giving water to somebody who's dying in the desert of dehydration," said Micha Card##as, 32, a UCSD lecturer.
The effort is being done on the government's dime — an irony not lost on the designers whose salaries are paid by the state of California.
"There are many, many areas in which every American would say I don't like the way my tax dollars are being spent. Our answer to that is an
in-your-face, so what?" says UCSD lecturer Brett Stalbaum, 33, a self-described news junkie who likens his role to chief technology officer.
Migrants walk for days in extreme heat, often eating tuna and crackers handed out at migrant shelters in Mexico. On Arizona ranches, they sip
desperately from bins used by cows when their water runs out.
Hundreds have perished each year since heightened U.S. border enforcement pushed migrants out of large cities like San Diego and El Paso, Texas, in
the 1990s. In response, migrant sympathizers put jugs or even barrels of water in the desert.
The designers want to load inexpensive phones with GPS software that takes signals from satellite, independent of phone networks. Pressing a menu
button displays water stations, with the distance to each. A user selects one and follows an arrow on the screen.
Some worry the software could lead migrants to damaged or abandoned water stations. Others wonder if it would lull them into a false sense of security
or alert the Border Patrol and anti-illegal immigration activists to their whereabouts.
John Hunter, who has planted water barrels in California's scorching Imperial Valley since the late 1990s, says vandals destroy about 40 of his 150
stations every year.
"My concern is for people who arrive and find (the water) doesn't exist," he says.
Luis Jimenez, 47, was abandoned by smugglers and rescued by the Border Patrol twice this year — once after hitting his head on a rock and again after
being bit by a snake. The Salvadoran migrant, who hopes to reach family in Los Angeles, would try the GPS device but can't afford one.
"If it tells you where to find water, it's good," he said at a Tijuana, Mexico, migrant shelter.
The phone designers say they are addressing the concerns, with an eye toward having the phone ready by midsummer.
"We don't want to create a safety tool that actually puts people in more danger," Stalbaum says.
The water locations beamed to the phones will be updated constantly to ensure accuracy. If the distance is too far, they won't appear on the screen.
The designers, who have raised $15,000 from a UCSD grant and an art festival award, hope to hand out phones for free in Mexico. The phones sell used
for about $30 apiece. It costs nothing to add the GPS software.
Distribution would be tightly controlled by migrant shelters and advocacy groups to keep them away from anti-illegal immigration activists. The
migrants would need passwords to use them.
U.S. authorities are unfazed. The Border Patrol has begun a $6.7-billion plan to drape the border with whiz-bang cameras, sensors and other
technology.
"It's nothing new," said Border Patrol spokesman Mark Endicott. "We've seen handheld GPS devices used by smugglers. ... We're just going to have to
learn to adapt to any challenges."
Critics of illegal immigration say the device is misguided, at best.
"If it's not a crime, it's very close to committing a crime," said Peter Nunez, a former U.S. attorney in San Diego. "Whether this constitutes aiding
and abetting would depend on the details, but it certainly puts you in the discussion."
The software is being designed to direct migrants to water stations but Card##as said they may add other "safety markers," like roads, towns and
Border Patrol lookouts.
The group has published verses to be played on the phone's "Global Poetic System."
One poem reads, "May your tracks cut the shortest distance between points A and B."
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surfer jim
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Let's send busses down, pick them up ,and take them around to the various welfare offices, dmv, doctors ect. so they can feel welcome.
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Mexicorn
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It is a good idea if it can save one persn it's paid for it self. Maybe Surfer Jim should try walking around in the desert with a group and no water
then he might have a heart.
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CaboRon
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Mexicorn
It is a good idea if it can save one persn it's paid for it self. Maybe Surfer Jim should try walking around in the desert with a group and no water
then he might have a heart. |
They are not just walking around ... they are criminals who are violating our borders .
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Mexicorn
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Criminals? no not all CaboRon some are just honest people who work hard and are pressed to make the cross to feed thier families. I'll bet you have no
idea whats it's all about to live in poverty Caboron because if you your self knew true poverty you wouldn't talk like now that would you.
You are an idiot caboron!
SuferJim get your head out you your rectum you're a close second.
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Bajahowodd
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I side with Mexicorn on this. Seems to me that we have developed an extremely vocal minority in this country who can only see issues as simply black
or white. People who have lost their ability to understand the nuances and complexities of issues. It's not like a bunch of Mexicans are sitting
around a bar in TJ and decide it would be fun to head north and check out the chicas in Boyle Heights. These are pitifully poor folks who hope to be
able to earn money for their families by doing hard work. What exacerbates the problem, is that as we have managed to erect a monstrous fortification
that spans much of the border's populated areas, literally forcing desperate people to risk their lives trekking through the desert. The wall we have
built and continue to build, on the border with a non-hostile nation is an embarrassment.
Sadly, although it appears that the Obama administration is looking to make comprehensive immigration reform a priority in 2010, it has already
indicated that a significant part of their effort will be further strengthening and fortification of the border- for the most part to placate their
political foes who have already stated they will fight against any path to legalization for those already here.
I don't see this happening on the Canadian border, but then, Canadians are mostly white and speak English.
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Packoderm
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What these people are is enablers. Mexico now has no urgent need to develop into a viable nation which looks after the interests of its own citizens
while they continue to have the safety valve in the form of jobs from illegal immigration which keeps Mexican society from reaching the boiling point
and then demand and fight for change. If we like and enjoy the conditions that the Mexican people live, then these academic enablers are on the right
track. What I really don't like is their help in sneaking the people in. If they want to make a stand and drive buses right to the border and pick up
immigrants, then that would be a whole lot less "chickenchit" than helping people sneak around in the desert.
And yes, the Mexican immigrant worker is honest, but his wife and kids are likely on welfare while he works undocumented. These workers tend to pool
together in certain vocations and crowd out the American worker who is required to legally support his or her family and thus cannot compete. These
are not necessarily jobs that "nobody wants" either. Here in my area, there was once a burgeoning construction industry that employed Americans who
just didn't seem to fit into the white collar world. The last time I was on a jobsite, I had to keep looking and looking for somebody who spoke
English until I finally found the superintendent. Some of the Americans who once worked on these jobs have found vocations in the information
technology trades and whatnot - and good for them. Unfortunately, many more are now displaced workers without a meaningful, legal means of
self-support. Especially hard hit are the African Americans and Chicanos.
And also especially hard hit are the many Mexican workers living in a yet to be developed Mexico. It will have to be one of two ways: Either we will
maintain a border to protect each others' sovereignty so that Mexico will fix its festering challenges, or we will need to do away with the border
altogether and allow free travel and commerce in both directions. I don't think Mexico is ready for the latter option.
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by CaboRon
| Quote: | Originally posted by Mexicorn
It is a good idea if it can save one persn it's paid for it self. Maybe Surfer Jim should try walking around in the desert with a group and no water
then he might have a heart. |
They are not just walking around ... they are criminals who are violating our borders . |
they are not criminals. the "law" that prevents people from crossing borders to seek greener pastures is not a valid law in any humane system -- so i
say they are not criminals. in a free and humane world people should be free to cross borders. only selfish inhumane people throw up borders to
facilitate their hoarding.
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Packoderm
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
| Quote: | Originally posted by CaboRon
| Quote: | Originally posted by Mexicorn
It is a good idea if it can save one persn it's paid for it self. Maybe Surfer Jim should try walking around in the desert with a group and no water
then he might have a heart. |
They are not just walking around ... they are criminals who are violating our borders . |
they are not criminals. the "law" that prevents people from crossing borders to seek greener pastures is not a valid law in any humane system -- so i
say they are not criminals. in a free and humane world people should be free to cross borders. only selfish inhumane people throw up borders to
facilitate their hoarding. |
Let's say I agree with you, then do we exclude anybody? I surmise that about 1/2 billion people in India wish to move to the U.S. immediately and
about as many more from China do as well. Significant portions of the other countries such as Nigeria, Liberia, Russia, Haiti, and many, many others
wish to move here now. Should we let them all in at once? If not, then how many - 1 billion? 1/2 billion? How many? Do we have jobs for them all? Do
we have food and water for them all? If we do draw a line, then where do we draw this line - at Panama?
The reason the the U.S./Canadian border is not such a flash point has more to do with the equilibrium of socioeconomic conditions of our countries
than racial profiling.
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Eugenio
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Excellent points Packoderm.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Mexicorn
It is a good idea if it can save one persn it's paid for it self. Maybe Surfer Jim should try walking around in the desert with a group and no water
then he might have a heart. |
At the risk of being told that I have my head up my rectum I'd suggest that some of these programs might actually encourage people to cross at unsafe
places and in unsafe ways - thereby costing more lives. It's not a simple situation.
And I suppose that Mexicorn would opine that Cearar Chavez and the UFW also had their collective heads up their rectums for opposing illegal (and
legal visavis the Bracero Program) immigration:
see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Chavez
Scroll to "Immigration":
The UFWA during Chávez's tenure was committed to restricting immigration. César Chávez and Dolores Huerta fought the Bracero Program that existed
from 1942 to 1964. Their opposition stemmed from their belief that the program undermined US workers and exploited the migrant workers. Their efforts
contributed to Congress ending the Bracero Program in 1964. In 1973, the UFW was one of the first labor unions to oppose proposed employer sanctions
that would have prohibited hiring undocumented immigrants. Later during the 1980s, while Chávez was still working alongside UFW president, Dolores
Huerta, the cofounder of the UFW, was key in getting the amnesty provisions into the 1986 federal immigration act.[8]
On a few occasions, concerns that undocumented migrant labor would undermine UFW strike campaigns led to a number of controversial events, which the
UFW describes as anti-strikebreaking events, but which have also been interpreted as being anti-immigrant. In 1969, Chávez and members of the UFW
marched through the Imperial and Coachella Valleys to the border of Mexico to protest growers' use of undocumented immigrants as strikebreakers.
Joining him on the march were both Reverend Ralph Abernathy and US Senator Walter Mondale.[9] In its early years, Chávez and the UFW went so far as to
report undocumented immigrants who served as strikebreaking replacement workers, as well as those who refused to unionize, to the Immigration and
Naturalization Service.[10][11][12][13][14]
In 1973, the United Farm Workers set up a "wet line" along the United States-Mexico border to prevent Mexican immigrants from entering the United
States illegally and potentially undermining the UFW's unionization efforts.[15] During one such event in which Chávez was not involved, some UFW
members, under the guidance of Chávez's cousin Manuel, physically attacked the strikebreakers, after attempts to peacefully persuade them not to cross
the border failed.[16][17][18]
Yes Mexicorn - there situations are all extremely simple to understand - and the decisions are all black and white for decent, caring people.
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Bajahowodd
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"Let's say I agree with you, then do we exclude anybody? I surmise that about 1/2 billion people in India wish to move to the U.S. immediately and
about as many more from China do as well. Significant portions of the other countries such as Nigeria, Liberia, Russia, Haiti, and many, many others
wish to move here now. Should we let them all in at once? If not, then how many - 1 billion? 1/2 billion? How many? Do we have jobs for them all? Do
we have food and water for them all? If we do draw a line, then where do we draw this line - at Panama?"
I have some difficulty in grasping your numbers. I really think that too many Americans are full of themselves and living in the past as far as how
much of a magnet the US is currently for foreigners. There are a number of countries, especially in Europe that do attract many of the folks from
countries you mentioned.
However, this thread began as focused on certain issues involving land travel across the border, and the awful toll is exacts. i'm guessing that until
Nigerians and Indians start trying to raft here, it won't be an issue.
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tripledigitken
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
However, this thread began as focused on certain issues involving land travel across the border, and the awful toll is exacts. i'm guessing that until
Nigerians and Indians start trying to raft here, it won't be an issue. |
You arn't under the impression that just Latins are crossing our southern border are you?
Ken
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Packoderm
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The information is based on polls. 40% of those living in Mexico wish to move to the U.S. now. The percentage is higher in other countries -
especially the war torn nations such as Sudan. The people who do not have an overwhelming desire to move here are those living in functioning
countries.
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Bajahowodd
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Packoderm
The information is based on polls. 40% of those living in Mexico wish to move to the U.S. now. The percentage is higher in other countries -
especially the war torn nations such as Sudan. The people who do not have an overwhelming desire to move here are those living in functioning
countries. |
Just curious about the polling methodology. Is the US the sole option versus staying put? Like, if there were multiple choices that included other
industrialized, democratic countries? Just curious.
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Packoderm
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| Quote: | Originally posted by tripledigitken
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
However, this thread began as focused on certain issues involving land travel across the border, and the awful toll is exacts. i'm guessing that until
Nigerians and Indians start trying to raft here, it won't be an issue. |
You arn't under the impression that just Latins are crossing our southern border are you?
Ken |
This is how I was considering how to sneak an Indian friend in for a tour of the U.S. He admitted though that he would try to stay in the U.S. rather
than fly back to India via Mexico.
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k-rico
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5000+ crosses representing the number of people who have died in the last decade crossing the border:
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k-rico
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close-up
[Edited on 12-30-2009 by k-rico]
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k-rico
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| Quote: | Originally posted by tripledigitken
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
However, this thread began as focused on certain issues involving land travel across the border, and the awful toll is exacts. i'm guessing that until
Nigerians and Indians start trying to raft here, it won't be an issue. |
You arn't under the impression that just Latins are crossing our southern border are you?
Ken |
Why don't you tell us who else?
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tripledigitken
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| Quote: | Originally posted by k-rico
| Quote: | Originally posted by tripledigitken
| Quote: | Originally posted by Bajahowodd
However, this thread began as focused on certain issues involving land travel across the border, and the awful toll is exacts. i'm guessing that until
Nigerians and Indians start trying to raft here, it won't be an issue. |
You arn't under the impression that just Latins are crossing our southern border are you?
Ken |
Why don't you tell us who else? |
I'll let you ponder it for awhile.
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DENNIS
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| Quote: | Originally posted by mtgoat666
they are not criminals. |
Some are, or want to be. To assume all crossers are in search of honest employment is ludacris. Since when did Mexico become a nation of angels?
How many crossers come from the belly of the big cities? Do you think that atmosphere breeds virtuous tenants? Take your lilly white ass for a stroll
down the streets of those neighborhoods for a graphic and painful answer.
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