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Who or what caused the death of the Yuma 14 in The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea?
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The deaths of the Yuma 14 in The Devil's Highway were caused by exposure to harsh desert conditions, but the blame is complex. The Mexican and American governments, economic conditions in Mexico, and the human smugglers (coyotes) who abandoned them are responsible. The men took risks due to desperation for better lives, and systemic immigration challenges contributed to their tragic fate. The U.S. bears some responsibility as the deaths occurred on its soil.
The Yuma 14 died from exposure to the dangerous desert environment in Arizona. However, Luis Alberto shows that the governments of Mexico and America, as well as the human smuggler who ferried them across the border, are responsible for the people ending up in that situation.
The Yuma 14 were abandoned on the Devil's Highway in Arizona with instructions to walk in a certain direction to reach a road. They were told that the coyote would return with water. Though they believed it would only take a few hours to walk to a safer area, they actually had to cross more than 50 miles of desert. Heat, dehydration, and exposure all took their toll on the men as they attempted to reach their destination. The survivors had to be treated for a variety of health problems, some of which will persist for the rest of their lives.
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immigrating from Mexico to America is one thing that drove the men in their desperate attempt to find a better life in the United States. The economy and environment in Mexico was bad enough that they believed they had a better chance at being safe and successful if they crossed the border to America. The immigration system made it too difficult for them to realistically come to America in a legal way, so they tried their luck with the human smugglers—coyotes. Coyotes work like a gang to make a profit and are more focused on money than on preserving and safeguarding the people who pay them. All of these factors led the men to the desert where they would ultimately die.
Luis Alberto Urrea's book The Devil's Highway is a true account which chronicles the stories of the border crossings by the group which is now known as the Yuma 14. Twenty-six Mexican men and their guides left Mexico for the United States; fourteen of them died.
The question of blame is a complicated one, full of many "ifs," but the blame must start in Mexico. If things were better for the people there, they would not be willing to take such great risks to improve their lives. Most of the men, known as the Wellstone 26, were only planning to go work in America for a specific time and purpose, knowing it was the quickest way for them to improve their homes, their children's educations, and their futures. “Even the gringo trash [in America] is better than anything else they can buy.” Mexico does not work as hard as it could to keep its citizens from trying to cross the border.
The guides (called coyotes) responsible for leading the men across the border and safely to their new lives in America are also to blame. They were careless, irresponsible, and inexperienced. These three things led directly to the deaths, and one of the guides dies, as well. If these men were not motivated by money, things might have been different. Mendez, the surviving coyote, had been arrested seven times before, but clearly he was undeterred by this.
The men, too, have to take some responsibility for their deaths. They trusted too much and continued their plan even when things began to fall apart, which they did even before they left Mexico. Their dreams and desperation for something better are commendable; if they had not allowed those two things to override their innate sense that things were not right, they might not have begun the journey.
In the end, the United States must take the blame because the deaths happened here. Humanitarian organizations have begun leaving water at strategic points (known to be pick-up points for border-crossers) and the border patrol is now broadcasting helpful messages over radio towers in an attempt to avoid loss of life. Despite these efforts, the consensus, according to Urrea, is that nothing much has changed.
Border issues are complex, as evidenced by the country's inability to find workable and acceptable solutions to the problems. The blame for the deaths of the Yuma 14 is equally complex.