Damien Cave of the New York Times discusses immigration, human trafficking

Damien Cave, Mexico City correspondent to the New York Times, spoke about misconceptions regarding illegal immigration and human trafficking. A panel with IU faculty members followed the lecture.

Why was he here?
Cave said that inflexible immigration policies encourage organized criminals to take over the business of helping people cross borders. He said that while illegal immigration is on a steady decline due to increased education and job opportunities in Mexico, many people are still promised economic opportunity in the United States and sold into slavery instead.

Most Surprising Quote
”The people in Congress now grew up during an era of homogeneous culture,” Cave said. “There was almost no immigration, so what they see today scares them because they don’t recognize the society they grew up in. In reality, their generation was the anomaly, and we are back to the immigration that we have always had in the
United States.”

“I encourage you, as the next generation, to help Congress get off their asses and get things done,” Cave said. “You guys know and care about human trafficking, and that is how things are going to change.”

To learn more
Check out IU’s Campus Coalition Against Trafficking on Facebook to learn more about how to raise awareness about modern-day slavery and ways to aid victims of global trafficking.

— Caitlin O’Hara