Artifact 4: Child Migration

     Before this year, children never crossed the border unless they were with there parent or guardian. In just this year alone, due to the Obama administration, over 57,000 minors have arrived and over $3.7 million were put toward this intense surge of emigrants. "The United States is ill-equipped to deal with the influx of child migrants" (Dara Lind). The main reason for this rising number of child migrants is because the United States offers a much better system of education and we have many jobs for minors starting at the age of 14. Here, we can offer more money a day than countries like El Salvador and Honduras offer in a week.

     
     Unfortunately, when young girls are migrating towards Texas from Central America undergo sexual assault and harassment, drug dealing, and violence. Another negative effect of child migration is once the child makes it to their destination, they don't know if they are being handed to their actual family but to a potential trafficker.

   
     In the book, Reyna and her siblings decide to go to America to have a better, more educated life. Once Reyna, Carlos, and Mago arrive in the United States they soon realize that El Otro Lado isn't as wonderful as they heard about. In fact it is completely opposite of what they thought. The hardest thing for Reyna to overcome was her inability to learn and speak english fluently. When "The Man Behind The Glass" tells Reyna to take advantage of everything America has to offer, especially education, it doesn't stop her determination to learn the language.