Flint, Michigan, made national headlines in 2016 after it was discovered that the water contained dangerously high levels of lead and other toxic substances. However, the region had been in stark economic and social decline far before that. Throughout most of the twentieth century, Flint was a fairly prosperous region, and most of its residents were employed by either General Motors or a business that supported those who worked for General Motors. However, when General Motors closed down its factories, those who were wealthy enough to leave Flint did so, leaving behind a population primarily made up of impoverished people of color.

Cornejo Villavicencio notes that most of the undocumented population was slow to learn about the dangers associated with Flint’s tap water, as they were mistrustful of the uniformed individuals going door to door with the news. Many only learned the severity of the situation after relatives in Latin American countries contacted them to ask about the crisis. However, even after becoming aware of the dangers associated with the water, many undocumented residents were unable to acquire government aid due to a lack of state-issued ID. This meant that local churches and other community organizations were forced to pick up the slack and provide what they could for those who could not obtain government resources. Cornejo Villavicencio talks with a number of attendees at a local Catholic church, which has been instrumental in helping undocumented residents obtain clean water.

However, although efforts have been made in the aftermath of the news breaking to avoid the contaminated water and provide cleaner sources, many people were afflicted unknowingly. Cornejo Villavicencio characterizes the Flint water crisis as an intentional effort by the government to poison a population that has been deemed undesirable through infrastructural negligence. One woman she interviews was diagnosed with breast cancer despite having no family history of the disease and living a relatively healthy lifestyle. Another woman had a child during the water crisis, and the child was born blind and suffers from seizures as a result of lead exposure. Although many of the immediate effects of the water crisis have been managed with public outreach and pipe placement, Cornejo Villavicencio worries that the long-term impacts on the youth of the region are as of yet unknowable. Furthermore, despite the fact that the infrastructural changes needed to make the water safe again have not been completed, the city has stopped providing free aid. Local organizations continue to do their part, but it is increasingly difficult for the people of Flint to afford clean water.

Cornejo Villavicencio declares that she cannot truly consider herself a journalist, because she has become personally involved in many of the cases she has written about. She considers herself a metaphorical child to all of the undocumented individuals she has interviewed, and she wishes to repay the debt she feels she owes to her own parents by doing what she can for all those who have been affected by racism, poverty, and abuse. However, she also acknowledges that her efforts to save others by using money and espousing the value of education to the youth comes across as something misguided white people try to do when they engage with minority populations. She feels guilty about her savior-like impulses and laments that all people of color live in a country that wants them “dead.” 

Analysis

Although The Undocumented Americans is critical of the government and white supremacy throughout, chapter 5 represents a noteworthy escalation, as Cornejo Villavicencio frames the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan, as a form of genocide. Cornejo Villavicencio blames the fact that...