Week 4 Day 4 Latinos in WWII and who si bringing Fentanyl into U.S.

 Week 4, day 4: Lecture: Latinos in WWII

1.      Military service demonstrates the lengths Latinos have gone to prove their worthiness to be citizens

a.      To serve, fight and die for one’s country

b.      Latinos have fought in every U.S. conflict, from American Revolution to Afghanistan

2.      1940 Mexican descent in the U.S. twice as likely to have been born and raised in the U.S. than not

a.      Children of immigrants had entered decades earlier

b.      More likely to strongly identify with country of birth

3.      500,000 estimated Mexican Americans served in WWII

a.      For many, this was the first time they are identified as Americans by other Americans

4.      War mobilization needed to provide a large number of non-combatants necessary to support the war

a.      Navy Waves, Army WACS

                                                              i.      E.g., Maria Sally Salazar from Loredo, Texas, who spent 18 months in the Philippines as nurse aid

1.      Working with wounded.

b.      As civilians, many found jobs in defense industries

                                                              i.      In an industry where discrimination ran high, employers reluctant to hire Latino workers

                                                             ii.      But this did not stop three sisters known as Rosita the Riveter

1.      or their five brothers serving in combat -two as army soldiers, one as army medic, one as Seabee, and the oldest at 50 who served as a civil defense air-raid warden

a. this family demonstrates the commitment of the family, even after they heard that one brother had been killed during the Battle of the Budge and another who died in combat in the Philippines.

c.      Hero Street -a two-block area in Silvis, Illinois, originally settled by Mexican immigrant railroad workers got it's name for the 45 residents that had joined in the military

                                                              i.      They served in the Philippines because of their ability to speak Spanish and communicate with Filipino allies

d.      11 Mexican Americans received Medal of Honor during the war

                                                              i.      One was Joseph P. Martinez -a child of immigrants, a Colorado beet harvester before the war

1.      Lead dangerous, strategically critical charge up the snow-covered mountain on the Aleutian Island

a.      Martinez received the honor posthumously -the first draftee to do so.

e.      What causes them to serve -they have a culture that derived from Iberian and Indigenous warrior societies

                                                              i.      Silvestre Herrera a medal of honor explained -I am a Mexican American we have a tradition.  We’re supposed to be men, not sissies.”

5.      After the war Mexican Americans still faced deep discrimination

a.      When Herrera was being recognized by the governor of Arizona, the governor had to order Phoenix businesses to take down signs that read No Mexican Trade Wanted

b.      Similarly, another restaurant had a sign that only Anglo Americans were served.

                                                              i.      Marcario Garcia, Medal of Honor recipient, refused to leave a restaurant and got into a fight with café owner

1.      Local city officials charged Garcia with aggravated assault

2.      He won the court of public opinion, particularly after Walter Winchel pointed out the injustice of his program

c.      The ideology of racial supremacy, so linked to fascist dictatorship, only made the sacrifices made by these Mexican Americans that much greater.

6. The most famous instance of discrimination targeting a Mexican American WWII veteran was that of Private Fellid Longoria of Three Rivers Texas

a.      Contributed to the success of another civil rights organization dedicated to addressing Mexican American issues

b.      1945, For years after his combat-related death in the Philippines, Longoria’s remains were shipped to the U.S.

                                                              i. The local funeral home refused the request by his widow to use the funeral home chapel for the wake in his honor

1.      Explained by the home director: We just never made it a practice to let them (Mexican Americans) use the chapel, and we don’t want to start now.

2. Throughout the southwest, segregated facilities targeting Mexican Americans were prevalent.  Not a matter of law but social custom

a.      Common practices before the war, although no longer acceptable to Mexican Americans or Anglo-American allies.

3.      The civil rights movement was led by a Corpus Christi physician -Hector Garcia

4.      Garcia had served as a medic in Europe during the war

5.      Upon returning home, he formed the American G.I. Forum to secure equal treatment of Mexican American veterans at VA hospitals

6.      When contacted by Longoria’s sister, he tried to get the funeral director to allow the funeral

a.      But he was refused

7.      Garcia felt this was a direct contradiction of those principles for which this American soldier had made the ultimate sacrifice

8.      He sent protest notes to news media outlets, elected officials and high government officials

a.      Johnson responded, then the junior senator from Texas, and worked to have Longoria buried at Arlington National Cemetery

b. Garcia's work as a civil rights advocate had just begun, and the Longoria incident propelled the American G.I.Forum to national attention in their fight for Mexican-American equality

c.      Joined forces with LULAC, the Forum throughout the 1950s that challenged segregation directed against Mexican American

                                                                                                                                      i.      These two organizations were quite successful ad diminishing the overt manifestation of discrimination targeting Mexican Americans

                                                                                                                                     ii.      It took 20 years, between WWI and WWII to make this happen.

                                                                                                                                   iii.      But the battle was not won

9.      Puerto Ricans during WWII was also filled with discrimination

a. from the island, many Puerto Ricans eagerly registered for the draft or volunteered

                                                                                                                                      i.      Believing that their wr efforts would help their island through infusion of defense dollars and technical training.

1.      These hopes were not totally realized

2.      Military officials preferred to keep islanders in security and service roles

3.      Charged mainly with hemispheric defence as a member of the 65^th Infantry Regiment (formerly the island’s provisional regiment) stationed on Galapagos Island and in the Panama Canal Zone

4.      Here, some of the soldiers were used in army medical experiments on the effects of mustard gas

5. Puerto Ricans, the Army research concluded, burnt and blistered just like whites, duh.

                                                                                                                                     ii.      200 Puerto Rican women served as WACS or WAVES

1.      Received their training in the U. S.

a.      But also experienced discrimination before returning home.

b.      On the mainland, Puerto Ricans served in the regular army units (unlike the service-oriented African American ones) they experienced combat

c.      Participated in D-day and were at the battle of the Guldge

10.  The Seven Medinas—seven brothers from a single Puerto Rican family divided between the island and Brooklyn—all served.

11.  Puerto Rican aviators were given special assignments -training African American pilots that became known as the Tuskegee Airmen in WWII

                                                             ii.      Often, they were chosen to train black men or the subjects of army medical tests

                                                           iii.      The military seemed preoccupied with racial differences that framed the experiences of soldiers of color.

                                                           iv.      Was not until the Korean War that Puerto Ricans in large numbers were able to distinguish themselves

1.      In 1950, the 65 regiment was sent to the front lines, comprised entirely of Puerto Ricans -the last all-PR unit

a.      Adopted the nicknamed  Boriquerners, a tribute to the island Indigenous name and a well-known Puerto Rican pirate

2.      Fighting the North Korean and Chinese soldiers, by the end of 1951 they had been in battle for 460 days, suffered 1,535 battle casualties, taken 2,133 enemy prisoners

a.      They had lost fewer men and taken more prisoners than comparable regiments on the front line

3. As the war ended, General Douglas McArthur, head of the military in Korea, said that they had shown magnificent ability and courage in field operations.

a.      While the Office of the Governor of Puerto Rico concluded that - they had suffered disproportionate casualty rates because of the tremendous role played by the 65^th

4.      The efforts of these soldiers helped Puerto Rico to reach a middle road between independence and statehood

a.      They continued to push for civil rights at home

b.      End the colonial relationship and become full statehood.

5.      During the Korean War U.S. officials continued to decriminalize the Puerto Rican flag and Puerto Rican anthem for first time since 1898

6. Finally, Puerto Rico became a commonwealth of the U.S., but it is not quite independent or full of statehood.

II. Who is sneaking fentanyl across the southern border? Hint: It’s not the migrants

1.      Fentanyl is flowing into the U.S. from Mexico

2.      We rarely talk about the smugglers coming through legal ports of entry.

3.      In Aug. 4, 2021, Haley tried to bring 1000 fentanyl pills across the border from Mexico into Arizona     

a.      She was carrying the pills inside her body

b.      It was her first time, a sudden decision.

c.      At the time, she was addicted to methamphetamine

                                                              i.      Lost her job due to covid and custody of her three kids

                                                             ii.      Heley is not her real name; she is 32.

d.      She was offered $500 to make do this by a male acquaintance.

II. Fentanyl and other drugs are often smuggled by couriers

1.      Thousands of pounds of fentanyl flow into U.S. from Mexico every month

2.      We rarely talk about the  curriers or mules carrying much of this through legal ports of entry

3. At the U.S.-Mexican border, far more fentanyl is seized at legal ports of entry than on illegal crossing routes between ports.

a.      Close to 90 %

b.      Smuggled by people who are legally authorized to cross the border

c.      More than half are U.S. citizens

d.      Virtually none are migrants seeking asylum

4.      Fentanyl and other drugs often concealed insider tractor-trailers carrying loads of legitimate cargo into U.S.

5.      Sometimes hidden in passenger cars or in or on the bodies of pedestrians.

6.      Most likely, it is not the large quantities that are being smuggled, but relatively small

a.      Five kilos of fentanyl and 10 kilos of methamphetamine

7.      Drug cartels routinely recruit couriers or mules to get products across the border

8. They choose people who will not attract attention to someone who looks ordinary.

9.      Part of the change is that synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are more potent/cheaper than organic drugs such as heroin or cocaine

10.  New drugs are harder to locate because it can so easily be concealed in cars or even the bodies of couriers

11.  The couriers were as young as 20 and as old as 60.  No generalization category.

a.      Ideal candidate is authorized to cross border

b.      Makes frequent trips without attracting the attention of customs agents at the port.

III. Couriers are often in “desperate straits.”

1. Many are addicts, living in their cars or on the streets, Unable to pay their bills and support their habits, make targets for either the cartels or those with connections.

IV. A Seep increase in fentanyl seizures.

·         Border states, especially California and Arizona, are seeing increased fentanyl seizures

·         Of those caught in recent raids (when this was done) 5 were U.S. citizens and 5 were Mexican nationals with permanent residency or legal authorization to be in U.S.

·         Thousands of pounds of fentanyl have been seized

·         But this is roughly just a quarter of fentanyl smuggled at the border

·         The number of overdose deaths continues to climb, making smuggling a major issue for our country.

·         Yet politicians., continue to blame the crises on illegal aliens.

·         While some make note of the seizure of 700 pounds of fentanyl that was predominantly backpacked across the border

This pail compared to the 10,000 pounds of fentanyl seized in Nogales and other ports in Arizona.

o   This does not mean that undocumented are not smuggling drugs into the country, it does mean that more is coming through with the aid of legitimate travelers.

·         Hailey is back to being sober, out of jail, and has a job reunited with her kids.