Hermana Resist posted a news story about the the Texas Rio Grande Hurricane Evacuation plan:

Hurricane season starts June 1. In the event of a hurricane in the region, emergency officials predict more than 130,000 evacuees will leave the Valley by school bus. They will be checked for identification and citizenship before they can board.

Anyone who is not a citizen or is not a legal resident will be held in specially designed areas in the Valley that are “made to withstand hurricanes,” said Dan Doty, a Border Patrol spokesperson for the Valley sector.

In the event of an emergency, Border Patrol will assist other federal, state, and local authorities in a safe evacuation but at the same time uphold its job of “border security, protecting the border, and establishing alienage,” Doty said.

I re-read this article multiple times because the relationship between immigration and hurricane evacuation plans did not seem practical or appropriate. In the midst of a natural disaster all lives irrespective of citizenship status are important, right? However, in the case of the Rio Grande Valley evacuation, “legal bodies” carry a greater currency and sanctity then “illegal bodies.”

I tried to view this controversial evacuation plan from multiple angles and was unable to work towards any understanding as to when it is appropriate to actively check for immigration status in the midst of a hurricane. This is not a contrived plea from a bleeding heard liberal or, but a serious question about the effects of an immigration policy that legitimizes ICE agents to canvas Oakland, CA. elementary schools and makes citizenship the necessary token for safety and protection during a hurricane.

Many of the articles I’ve read as well as this video clip argue that border control agents cannot suspend their responsibilities in the midst of a hurricane especially considering the looming terrorist threat.

With direct instruction from Homeland Security, one border patrol agent asserted that he cannot take the chance of allowing a terrorist board the bus. What does it mean when we are consistently told that immigration policy is the most feasible route to prevent terrorism even if such a route results in broad policy that indiscriminately criminalizes all immigrants?

So, while sensible terrorism fears can be respected, what happens to the thousands of people who choose not the seek help in the midst of the hurricane because they are more fearful of being arrested and deported? As Corinna Scheurich from the South Texas Civil Rights Project so aptly asserts, “this means people are not going to seek help.”

Furthermore, she makes the argument that “when you call the fire department, they do not check your immigration status before they put out the fire.” My cynical, tongue-in-cheek response: maybe fire departments will begin to check immigration status before they put out the next fire. Be on the look out…