WaPo: Border Fence Ruins Mother's Day for Mexican Families

If you are looking for an eyerolling, maudlin Mother's Day story, you don't have to go any farther than the pages of the Washington Post to get a doosie. You see, Ashley Surdin of the Washington Post gave us a tear-jerker of a tale about how the border fence between Mexico and the United States keeps Mothers from being with their children. Yes those mean Americans and their insistence on border security hurts Mommies. To that all I can say is, Oh brother!

In fact, the Post is even claiming that those poor Mexican Mothers can't put their fingers through that nasty, rotten fence to touch the tears on their baby girl's face because if they did they would be punished by the eeeevil U.S. government. And these poor, innocent Mommies are worried that things are getting worse because the U.S. is building "more fences."

Again, I have to say "Oh, brother." Are these people serious with this nonsense?

Look at this schmaltz...

You can walk to the U.S. border, Francelia Menchaca's immigration lawyer advised her, but don't put your fingers through its fence. It may hinder her immigration paperwork, the lawyer said.

But when, after a year apart, Menchaca's mother arrived in her flowered straw hat to the border in Tijuana on Saturday and put her small, wrinkled hands up to the cast-iron gate, Menchaca reached out and touched them.

"Were you anxious to touch my hand?" Menchaca asked in Spanish. Tears stood on her lashes.

"Yes," said her mother, Francisca Rodriguez, a resident of Tijuana, as her three grandchildren, including a 10-month-old girl she had never seen, strained to be near her.

What rot!

Then, after whining that the fence is only "just wide enough to slip a hand or a homemade taco through" the Post regales us on how things are getting worse for these poor Mothers.

Safe gathering spots such as these are few along this increasingly violent boundary, and Saturday may mark the last time families can use them. Amid escalating drug wars — which have recently erupted in bloody nighttime and daytime street shootouts, sending people into hiding in their homes — officials are fortifying the border.

Within the next few weeks, the U.S. government will build more fences in this beachside area. The idea anguishes visitors such as Rodriguez.

Interesting how the WaPo doesn't mention that these drug wars are fought between Mexicans and all the violence is on the Mexican side of the border!

Now, I'm all for Motherhood, it must be pointed out. I feel that all Mothers everywhere should love and nurture their children. But, much as I think this story is all kleanex and BS, I have a solution for all the Mexican Mothers straining to touch the faces of their little girls that reside on the U.S. side of the border. Keep your kids in Mexico with you! See, I do want to keep families together.

Anyway, if anyone can divine the purpose of this Washington Post story other than to make it out as if the U.S. is the bad guy for daring to want to keep their borders under control, I'd like to know what it is?

(Photo credit: Sarah I. Voisin, the Washington Post)

Update: 5/13/08, 3:30 PM

** Editor's note** Newsbuster commenter JasonC made a perfectly logical point. I originally headlined this story with this: "WaPo: Border Fence Ruins Mother's Day for Illegals."

But, as JasonC points out, the story was not talking about illegals. That was my assumption getting through and I failed to make the connection.

Perhaps, this story talked about a Mexican mother who scooted across the border to drop her kid so that the baby would have U.S. citizenship and then the mom ended up back in Mexico for whatever reason but she is also waiting for her legal papers to come through. So, anchor baby or no, this woman is waiting for her papers. I applaud this mom for doing the right thing.

So, JasonC, I agree with your point and have changed the title of this piece accordingly. Thanks for your attention.