While reading Leslie Silko's "Border Patrol State," I was so appalled to learn how Border Patrol officers abuse their power and mistreat innocent Americans. Previous to reading Ms. Silko's essay, I had very little knowledge regarding the discriminatory actions of Border Patrol officers and how violent these situations could become. As I was reading her story, I found myself truly getting angry and feeling ashamed that this happens in our country; a country that promotes it's acceptance of diversity and proclaims freedom for all its people. Though I have no personal experiences relating to mistreatment or witnessing mistreatment at the hands of Border Patrol, I was surprised to learn of my classmate, Danielle's, experience when traveling to New Mexico for a dance convention. The fact that Border Patrol let a TCU Charter bus pass through simply because the driver was white supports Danielle's claim that "Border Patrol officers probably are more prone to asking colored people to 'step out' or strip down for the officers or to have dogs search their trunks." Based on the incident described in Ms. Silko's essay, in which Border Patrol put a cocked revolver to the head of a Mexican-American football coach transporting his team to or from a game, I wonder what would have happened to the TCU Charter bus had the driver not been white. I also like how Danielle related the issues with Border Control to the discrimination occurring on behalf of the TSA. I think that power-abusing, discriminatory actions occur just about anywhere and that the TSA and Border Control are just two examples of it that are getting a great deal of attention. As long as people hold prejudices against others, discrimination is going to happen. Based on Danielle's testimony and Ms. Silko's assertions in "Border Patrol State," I agree with Ms. Silko's argument that inappropriate action against people of color at the hands of Border Control is the case far too often; that it is "an everyday occurrence." Ms. Silko also made an important statement in her essay that I agree with and greatly admire: "Deep down the issue is simple: the so-called Indian Wars from the days of Sitting Bull and Red Cloud have never really ended in the Americas...The Indian people of southern Mexico, of Guatemala, and those left in El Salvador, too, are still fighting for their lives and for their land against the cavalry patrols sent out by the governments of those lands. The Americas are Indian country, and the 'Indian problem' is not about to go away." I find a lot of truth in this statement and greatly admire Silko for making it. I agree that the concept of Border Control isn't just working to keep our nation safe, but that it also reinforces deeply rooted prejudices in our nation's history, such as the idea of an "Indian Problem," and continues to create hardship for those that have already suffered greatly in our nation's past on behalf of Anglo Americans.
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