Barriers In The Devil's Highway

Humans are like parrots; what society tells them, they repeat and believe to be true. However, this habit often creates unseen barriers that divide and alienate people from one another. In Luis Alberto Urrea’s book The Devil’s Highway, Urrea tells the story of 26 illegal immigrants who are abandoned as they attempt to cross the Mexico-U.S. border. Through their story, Urrea reveals that there are invisible borders that create discrimination, such as language, ethnicity, and economic status. In order to break down these borders, education is essential to prove that they are unnecessary constructions of society. In The Devil’s Highway, Urrea provides a new, more human perspective of immigration by telling the journey of 26 immigrants from Veracruz, Mexico, known as the Wellton 26. They attempt to cross the U.S.-Mexico border to find a better life for their families but are abandoned in the Arizona desert by their three guides. Around half of

Very few, if any, immigrants have the opportunity or time to learn English before they immigrate to the U.S. This barrier makes it almost impossible to warn and aid them. Although the Border Patrol and humanitarian groups attempt to warn immigrants about human smugglers, the signs are written in English. In addition to indecipherable signs, the language border hinders an immigrant’s ability to survive in American society. In almost every community, English is the written and spoken language. This fact proves that an immigrant’s life in the U.S. will be arduous; the language barrier hinders their ability to find jobs and communicate with society, and the will be looked down upon for not taking the time to learn English, one of the most difficult languages in existence. The Wellton 26’s lack of communication between themselves and Americans hinders their ability to find help and