Another tragic accident off our coastline in San Diego reminds us how desperate many migrants are. Three lives were lost, including a 10-year-old child from India, and seven others are presumed missing. We may never know if they reached shore, but their journey reflects a broader truth often ignored in American debates: Immigration is deeply personal, yet rarely discussed with honesty.
At this point, nearly every American knows at least one person among the estimated 12 million undocumented individuals in the U.S; a neighbor, co-worker, friend or family member. They include 538,000 DACA recipients (children brought here by their parents as youth fleeing poverty or violence). Despite doing essential work, like caring for the elderly or working in restaurants, they remain invisible in public discourse.
As journalists working in the border region, we hear their stories. Families torn apart as they risk everything to find safety, or the fear of being deported back to perilous situations. But the stories that dominate the media often focus on criminals or sensational cases. These narratives are used as political tools, distorting the broader reality and framing immigrants through a narrow, negative lens.
Take the tragic case of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student murdered at the University of Georgia in February 2024. Her death was heartbreaking and sparked a national debate on immigration, culminating with the introduction of the Laken Riley Act, which mandates federal detention of undocumented immigrants accused of serious crimes, shifting the debate from policy to fear. It dehumanizes millions of people who came seeking safety and opportunity, not harm.
For decades, this nation has failed to meaningfully address immigration. Under President Obama, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was introduced, but also more than 2 million people were deported, more than under any other recent president. The Biden istration significantly raised refugee issions compared to the Trump years, but it also faced criticism for its handling of the situation. As of July 2024, there was a staggering 1.3 million-case back asylum applications, with some individuals waiting up to six years for a decision.
While Donald Trump often boasted about reduced apprehension numbers, the reality is that the desperation to enter the U.S. remains unchanged. The boat accident off San Diego’s coast this week is just one example of how people will risk everything to escape violence or economic hardship. Despite the expansion of the border wall, people continue to attempt dangerous crossings. In fact, since 2019, high-severity injuries at the U.S.-Mexico border have increased fivefold, according to UC San Diego trauma surgeons.
Recent reports show there have been 287 maritime incidents off San Diego coastline, with 951 people apprehended from Oct. 1 to mid-April. These numbers underscore the ongoing desperation of migrants and the dangerous lengths they are willing to go to in search of a better life. The truth is undeniable: This nation’s immigration system is broken. The back immigration courts is staggering, and the legal process is convoluted, lengthy and prohibitively expensive.
The application fees for a green card range from $2,000 to $5,000, and applicants often must travel to places like Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, (across the border from El Paso) to obtain a visa. Even if an applicant can afford the fees, the wait time can stretch up to 24 years. Yes, 24 years. This is not a system designed to people seeking better lives, but one that traps them in a bureaucratic maze, offering few options for relief.
So what is the solution? A humane approach to immigration reform. This means addressing the broken system head-on by streamlining the process, expanding the capacity of immigration courts, and increasing the number of immigration judges to ensure that cases are processed efficiently. It also means recognizing that the majority of immigrants contribute positively to our society and deserve a path to citizenship, not criminalization.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem responded to the latest maritime tragedy by calling for the death penalty for alleged smugglers. But that misses the point. We should be focusing on the lives lost in these tragic accidents, the children and the mothers who made unimaginable sacrifices to escape dangerous circumstances. Their courage should prompt comion, not condemnation.
These children and their families are the true faces of the immigration problem in this country. Their loss serves as a reminder that the stakes are much higher than political debates or border walls. It’s about human lives, lives that will continue to be lost as long as our immigration system remains broken.
Castañeda is deputy editor of editorial and opinion at The San Diego Union-Tribune and lives in Chula Vista. Navarro is community opinion editor at The San Diego Union-Tribune. She is a transfronteriza who lives on both sides of the border.
