Dr. John Marquez – Latinos as the Living Dead

Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to hear Dr. John Marquez presented a lecture entited “Latinos as the Living Dead – The Necropolitics of US Immigration Policy.” In his lecture, Dr. Marquez focused primarily on how the US concept of sovereignty does not allow for any grey area along the border, and how border militarization is incredibly unfair to Mexican nationals. His lecture was fascinating, albeit incredibly fast paced (sometimes so much so that it was hard to understand!). He began by explaining border militarization and its detriments. I was particularly moved by his claim that the borders that divide first and third world countries are the most volatile, as in the US/Mexico border and the Spain/Africa divide. This makes complete sense to me, though I never thought of it in that way. The immediate difference in wealth and quality of life is stark and provoking, which I of course understood, but the way Dr. Marquez explained it made it much clearer and direct. He referred to the border as a “death world,” which at first seemed too strong a term, but as he continued with the lecture, became totally appropriate in my mind.

Dr. Marquez then gave two examples of innocent children whose lives had been taken by border violence. The first was a young Mexican-American girl whose Arizona house had been stormed by minutemen, shooting her to death in the process. The second was the story of Sergio Hernandez Guereca who was caught trying to throw rocks at border patrol from quite some distance and was shot in the face after causing no physical harm to the patrol officers. Both of these stories were heartbreaking—to see how Mexican and Mexican-American families alike are affected by the border violence is shocking and disheartening. Dr. Marquez then explained that the border militarization and death toll are often blamed on 9/11, while this increase in border violence actually predates 9/11 by approximately ten years.

Dr. Marquez then explained the efforts of a group called No More Deaths, who strive to make life easier for those attempting to get across the border alive. They drop off water jugs in the middle of the desert that makes up the border where hundreds of Mexican bodies are found every year, having died of heat exposure or dehydration. This reminded me of the Brinco shoes from the inSITE exhibition. Though No More Deaths was not an artistic organization, their attempt to help those attempting to cross the border by providing supplies in a covert way was equally meaningful in its message. Sadly, the No More Deaths water jugs were ruled environmentally dangerous by the US 9th Circuit Court. The court ruled that the unobtrusive plastic jugs were distressing for the native animals of the region. This rejection of a blatant (and safe) expression of help and outreach does not paint the US Judicial system in a good light.

Though I did not always understand what Dr. Marquez was talking about, the passion with which he spoke was moving. To hear the stories of Latino struggles from someone who has studied it so extensively and is the child of an illegal immigrant himself was quite moving. Though Dr. Marquez was unable to finish his lecture due to time constraints, he ended on an emotional note, explaining how mothers of those killed on the border have come to the forefront of those fighting for a decrease in militarization of the border. The mothers are unafraid to fight to end the violence, and as Dr. Marquez noted, all they really want to know is the name of the man who killed their son. These mothers will likely never get their wish, however, as the border patrol officers (when on duty) are not acting as individuals, but rather as a part of the state, and so their names are irrelevant. This idea of anonymity on the part of the US in the border dispute was particularly jarring for me and I am still thinking about it to this day. Dr. Marquez painted a picture of family and love on the Mexican side and ruthless machination on the US side.