Week of January 28th: Border Politics

Border politics is something that many Duke students have conflicting opinions on.

“I feel like there is a fine line between protecting the rights of every human and overextending the power of a country,” one Duke student explained, “I don’t know how to balance safety and openness, and I don’t think the current government does either.” 

Another student curtly replied, “How can I make decisions regarding the lives of those I have never and will never meet?” The legislation surrounding border politics is highly polarized and charged, but if people are unwilling to approach the conversation, how will a compromise or understanding of any kind be met?

“As a daughter of two immigrants, I have heard my parents complain of the bureaucratic process of requesting a green card or citizenship. There aren’t enough attorneys or civil servants for all of the families that are seeking entry.”

Students at Duke range in their perspectives when it comes to border politics, but the presence of ICE merely neighborhoods and cities over has cast a very solemn and real shadow over this week’s topic. “[Citizenship] is not something I’ve ever had to think about,” a student states, “but now I see my friends frantically calling their relatives, going home, and ICE near East Campus. This topic has now become a very, very real thing for us all.”