Illegal migration has been a problem between the American and Mexican border dating back to the history of the two countries. Although the problem never seems to have permanent solutions, sometimes, political solutions seem to solve the problem temporally. Which returns with the next regime. The distance between us gives the highlights on the challenges and the problems that face illegal immigration to the United States and Mexican border. If everyone’s opinion were to be considered, no one would like to leave their families and loved one to be an illegal immigrant in the neighboring country. Therefore, the issues of illegal immigration provide a platform to analyze extended issues like the failure of the government to address the causes of illegal migration.  The distance between us by Reyna grade provides this platform.  The authorities may have it written in the books of history on their experiences while enforcing the illegal migration law. However, the true memories lie on the hearts and minds of the illegal immigrants who have faced the challenges and difficulties of crossing this notorious wall in search of the “greener” American dream.

 Rayne provides the firsthand experience of the illegal migration of across the Mexican and American border. Her mother had left her at an early age in search of the job across the border. She narrates of her ordeal of migrant experience as he grows up with a grandmother who she feels that she is already overburdening her household. The immigrant journey through the American Mexico border has never been safe. When her mother safely returns from the “other side”, she is prepared to join her for in search of better life through the same illegal crossing of the border. However, the Reyna has another agenda, reuniting with her long lost father that she believes is an American. These two factors are the compelling forces that push Reyna to join her mother to the “El Otro Lado”(pg.7).

Illegal migration has made it privilege being born American as supposed to the Mexicans. The legal flow of people is highly restricted between the two countries. The issue has also trying to be solved amicably by the two governments but obvious, it is hard to prevent people from seeking opportunities despite how challenging they may seem. Reyna is one of the people who want to immigrate to America. Several issues arise from Reyna’s case. First, is why there are illegal migrants in the first place? America and Mexico are on the same geographical locations, have almost similar resources, but Mexicans have always the experiences of illegally migrating to the United States (Orrenius, 12).

According to the narrator, the genesis of illegal migration is the extreme poverty in Mexico. Reyna lives with her strict maternal grandparents and a cardboard home that floods during the monsoon winds. Thought the pain of poverty, people opt for the dangerous journey of illegally immigrating to the United States in the search of employment and good lives. For Reyna, she begins the obvious easiest way of joining her mother and her unseen father in the United States (pg. 13).

it is through the experience and the eyes of Reyna that one can tell the difference between the living conditions and of the Mexican immigrant children and the white American children. In the first half of the book, it focuses on the living conditions that fuel the illegal immigration to America. Once they successfully migrate to cross over to the other side, their woes are far from complete.  They face a new life of discrimination, and anew fear of being deported back to their home country.

Mexican children who are at the America are racially discriminated in their schools and class by their teachers. The poverty also does not immediately end as the Mexicans would probably expectations. However, their life takes a different twist when their father takes them to live in the United States when their father sweeps them and takes them away from California. Reyna believes that their problems are over.

Illegal migration has created an unsuitable life for the children who are discriminated in the schools as they learn English. In addition, there parents at home also cane their children while some are even neglected by their drunk fathers. Such are the social problems especially targeting children of the Mexican immigrants. Marriages break up as fathers mistreated the children’s mother until became cannot tolerate the problem and they leave. The father also takes up another wife destroying the family structure.  Reyna’s father is one of the many Mexicans who left Mexico for United States and never came back for quite a period.  Furthermore, majority of them never wished to return but to find their dream homes and settle down in America. Those who wished to return only had to return home empty handed as they were illegal immigrants and having to carry their property again in the border would not have need possible. For instances, the Reyna’s fathers left long period and his family for United States. After a long time, the family then joins him in America as illegal immigrants (pg.29).

They long periods that Reyna had stayed without he parent is an illustration of the effects of illegal emigration the United States in search of jobs and good works. Stories are told of a far place that takes people when referring to America.  The poor state of the economy and devaluation of the currency were signs of a bad economy that forced Mexicans to leave their country for America (Grande, pg.7).  it is the role of the government to provide employments and basic needs including eliminating poverty among its people. The Mexican government was significantly to eliminate poverty and the currency was even devaluating faster at an alarming rate.

The desire to undertake the dangerous crossing was s determination that majority of the Mexican had to overcome what hindered their success is a good demonstration of the situation at the Mexico during these times.  Aware of the dangers that were ahead of their crossing in border, the families were persistent to cross the border to U.S.

 Illegal migration has several other challenges that included the host country. These factors were among the influencing factors in the discrimination as Mexicans were seen to overpopulate the local schools and social facilities. The Mexican were also the source of cheap jobs that were many American viewed them with hostility as taking up the jobs they were as a threat to the American jobs. The hostility towards the Mexicans remains as an issue of contention even to today.

The distance between us story is a true nonfiction story that is still widely acceptable even in the current society. In Mexico still, Mexican are still trying to cross the border to the United States fir better jobs and better lives. As illustrated in by Reyna, these key issues shows that the government has still done very little to resolve the issues as they were back in the days of reynan. 

 The narrators illustrates on how he took time to understand his father. Due to several years apart, they family was hard to positively move together and accept his one in the life of someone. This is a demonstration of the consequence of illegal migration the family ties that existed before the analyses migration. Breaking of family structures and establishments illustrates the the Mexico -American illegal migration had damaging consequences on the Mexican people. The American Mexican border forms the busiest crossing frontier in the world. Due to shortage of workers in in America, the county reviewed its laws to allow the Mexican workers work in the United States under temporarily arrangements,  this has significantly helped reduce the number  immigrants  who would

Reynan tries to understand the harsh and cruel past and forgive it for that entire she went challenges that she went through. Although it was not her fault nor the fault of anyone, she remembers that life through which she has undergone. In his memoir the distance between us, Reyna shares the personal experience of that she underwent growing up without the support of  parents while they cross over to America in search of greener pastures nut unfortunately unfortunate were too costly for good family relationships,

It is not possible to highlight all the challenges that face illegal migration. Some are already know like disrupting family relations in search of resources.  The distance between us memoir, Reyna details on how her family was s forced to separate after he r father immigrated to America after a long time without contacts. She has also admits that challenges she has integrating with her father probably because of the long period that her father was absent. According to Reynan, poverty forces people to cross the dangerous border to America (Gordon, pg.348),

The other challenge is the discrimination for the children and families that have already succeeding to in crossing over and settling to the United States. This discrimination because of color and ethnicity is not the perfect conditions as they develop a tendency against others and may be discouraged in class.  Children also lack the motivation to work hard as they are less discouraged in the whites’ schools they attended while fearing deportation (Gordon, pg.352)

Learning from the experiences of Reynan, the government should provide the necessary measures to ensure that there are all the provisions that are required to create employment to discourage illegal migrations across the borders.  If The Mexican movement did that, no one will be required to risk life while sneaking to the American side illegally in order to find work. Families will never be broken as fathers and mothers leave their children in search of good life as in the case of Reyna. Good family structures are key to children education and development and when families are stables, children can study well without racial discrimination. Illegal migration is controllable if the governments put measures to welfare of its citizens

Works cited

Grande, Reyna. The Distance between Us. New York: Atria books, 2012. Print.

Hanson, Gordon H. “Challenges for US immigration policy.” The United States and the world economy: Foreign economic policy for the next decade(2005): 343-372.

Hanson, Gordon H. Illegal migration from Mexico to the United States. No. w12141. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2006.

Orrenius, Pia. “Enforcement and illegal migration.” IZA World of Labor(2014).