In the
research for , the author, Urrea, spent a significant amount of time with
the Border Patrol agents, but none with the twelve victims he was nominally and theoretically
telling the story of. Thus, the book represents the Border Patrol's point of view much more than
the workers without papers that they target.
To most Latinos, Border Patrol
are "La Migra" or simply "Migra." They are feared by immigrants because of
their harassment and also because they are above the law in ways other law enforcement are not.
There is little oversight and rare punishment for any abuses they commit. Thus their name is
often said as a curse, "pinche Migra," the first word equaling the F-word in
English.
Urrea is of Mexican ancestry, though light-skinned enough that he
passes for white. He describes himself as bonding with the local Anglo head of the Border Patrol
and even loving him after several days hanging out with him. What may surprise many is that
Urrea did not...
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