Borders, people, and immigration

Borders, people, and immigration
The US-Mexico Border Fence is a collection of barriers to prevent illegal movement across the 3,100
kilometer border between the United States and Mexico.
The Fence stretches over (s’étend sur) 550 kilometers (mainly in Arizona, California, and New
Mexico, with construction under way -en cours- in Texas)
Illegal aliens = foreigners / undocumented immigrants
To cross the border illegally = unlawfully
To apply for work permits : faire une demande de permis de travail
An asylum-seeker : un demandeur d’asile
Children are easy prey for the smugglers = les enfants sont des proies faciles pour les traffiquants
President Obama’s Immigration Reform Bill / pledged = promised to make the situation more fair
The Republican Majority in Congress refuses to pass the bill (voter le projet de loi)
To flee one’s country / an economic situation / a conflict / violence
To seek (=search for) a better future / to hope for better living conditions
A humanitarian crisis : children crossing the border on their own by the thousands (summer 2014)
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On the Border : a photo project : link
The Great Wall of America : another photo project : link
A few samples of Banksy’s ephemeral graffiti on the West Bank Barrier : link 1
link 2 : video by Banksy about his trip to Gaza
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On the border between Israel and the Palestinian territories in the West Bank (Cisjordanie)
Israeli government’s point of view : “The Security Barrier”
Palestinian population’s nickname for the Barrier : “The Apartheid Wall”
The graffiti represent the “absurd and contradictory” situation : a dove(symbol of peace) wearing a
bullet proof vest ; a girl in a pink dress (symbol of innocence) frisking a soldier ; a soldier checking the
ID (identification papers) of a donkey ; a foot sticking out of the wall, as if someone was trying to
walk through it.
Graffiti = street art; by definition, it is short-lived = ephemeral / the concrete (béton) wall represents
a strong, massive and long-lasting construction
Banksy’s hope is that like in Berlin, this wall will eventually = finally come down / fall.
Here is an announcement for a tourist tour of Banksy’s graffiti in Bethlehem… no comment : link