The New Yorker article on the immigration crisis ignores U.S. responsibility for provoking it
The New Yorker article Biden’s Dilemma at the Border (June 19, 2023), by Dexter Filkins, describes the havoc and suffering caused by the large number of migrants fleeing South America towards the United States.
The article says “Some of the biggest groups [of immigrants] were coming from four countries—Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Haiti—with which the U.S. maintained troubled relations.” But other than that hint of U.S. responsibility for the crisis, the article fails to tell how U.S. foreign and economic policies contribute to the turmoil and poverty in South America. Instead, the article explains migration this way:
Much of the migration to the United States in recent years has been driven by profound developments in Central and South America and in the Caribbean, where economic turmoil, natural disasters, and drug-related violence have brought many states to the brink of collapse, and where gangs and drug cartels often operate beyond state control. It’s not just the U.S. that is besieged by migrants but also countries throughout the region, Biden officials pointed out; unrest in Venezuela has produced at least seven million refugees, most of whom have fled to Colombia and other countries nearby.
The article should have mentioned that the United States imposes economic sanctions on three of the four countries that the article calls “most problematic” with regard to migration: Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. And the U.S. attempted regime change operations against all four countries. Indeed, according to World Population Review, Wikipedia, The Progressive, and The Nation, the United States attempted regime change operations in the following countries in Latin America: Haiti (1915-1934), Guatemala (1953), Dominican Republic (1961), Cuba (1961), Brazil (1964), Argentina (1964), Columbia (1964, 1999, 2021), Bolivia (1971. 2019), Chile (1973), Nicaragua (1985, Iran Contras), Panama (1989), and Venezuela (2002 – now). And there is evidence that the U.S. helped elect Boslonaro in Brazil.
The U.S. has a history of overthrowing democratically elected governments in Latin American and supporting oppressive regimes friendly to U.S. business or ideological interests.
And these are just the coups and interventions that have been made public. Much of U.S. foreign policy is executed covertly, with harsh penalties on anyone who exposes the secrets.
Just as NATO expansion helped lead to the war in Ukraine, U.S. foreign policy in Latin America helped cause the migration crisis affecting the U.S., and the mainstream media hides the facts in both cases.
See also:
Time Magazine: Why the Threat of U.S. Intervention in Venezuela Revives Historical Tensions in the Region
The Nation: The US Must End Its Economic War Against Venezuela
The Nation: House Democrats Want to Know the Truth About the Bolivian Coup
The Progressive Magazine: The United States’ Role in Colombia’s Forever War
U.S. Department of Treasury: Sanctions Programs and Country Information
WA Liberals: Evidence that U.S. Meddling in Brazil helped elect Bolsonaro