Glenn Connelly, Staff Photographer

Immigration, mainly concerning those who come to the United States from Mexico and Latin America has garnered a lot of media attention recently.

And the debate has become more than just about border issues – people are now looking at the lives immigrants lead.

As a result, feelings regarding immigrants, particularly those who are undocumented, are split among Americans.

But one thing remains consistent: the presence of immigrants cannot be ignored, especially in San Diego, an area just minutes from the border.

On Tuesday evening, a panel was held in Casa Real in Aztec Center to discuss the lives and treatment of immigrants on both sides of border. “Human and Civil Right and Mexican Immigration” presented four distinguished guests who each gave their opinions on the subject based on personal involvement and allowed for commentary from audience members, as well.

Panelists addressed the increased concern as to why Mexicans leave their homes, what they face once in America and what exactly their effect is on society.

“This is a country that has been shaped by immigration,” said Olivia Ruiz, a professor at San Diego State and a cultural anthropologist. “California wouldn’t have developed the way that it did without the labor (of immigrants).”

Although immigrant workers are a vital part of California’s economy, some are not satisfied with the effects immigration has on the average taxpaying citizen, especially when immigrants are here illegally.

San Diego resident Robert Pascoal, a member of the audience, said that while working as a paralegal, he saw first-hand the outcomes of immigration and that rules must be enforced for immigration be a success in America – especially when undocumented immigrant children attend school in the United States, something that costs tens of thousands of dollars.

“If the state of California is going to make an investment, and on an (immigrant) student’s education, then it should get a benefit from it,” Pascoal said. “We need to enforce these laws because if they are going to be here, then we have responsibility to make sure they can be productive.”

Illegal immigrants can’t just go through the school system, graduate and not be able to make a life for themselves; if they can’t get a car, a checking account or job, it’s as if taxpayers are wasting their money, he said.

“We either need to identify that student and send him back to Mexico, or embrace him and take him on the path toward citizenship,” Pascoal said.

But some feel illegal immigrants should be treated decently and allowed opportunities, as well.

Panelist Kristen Hill Maher, a political science professor at SDSU and the advisor to the Immigrants Rights Coalition, said that coming to America legally is very difficult. This makes immigrants vulnerable to negative consequences from having an illegal status, such as harsh treatment, denied access to U.S. systems or deportation.

“There’s an anti-immigrant sentiment and the mistaken idea that only (U.S.) citizens have rights,” Maher said. “But every person has access to rights.”

Maher suggested expanding the number of green cards granted and reforming immigration laws to solve problems such as illegal immigration and, as Pascoal said, allowing taxpayers’ money to go to waste.

Still, there’s a reason why these immigrants risk their lives to cross the border knowing they will not receive much respect or freedom once in America. They want to make a better life for themselves and their families.

One panelist talked about what occurs on the other side of the Mexican border, using a humanistic approach as to why people come to the United States.

Victor Clark Alfargo, director of the Bi-national Human Rights Center in Tijuana, said many Mexicans have unsafe lives in Tijuana, and other parts of Mexico, which is related to the strong activity of organized crime. He said he’s seen cases involving juveniles who’ve been tortured by state police, and ones involving sexual abuse and extortion.

Human rights abuses are an “endemic” in Mexico, and the police system is only adding to the problem, not alleviating it.

“Migrants need to cross immediately into the other world,” Alfargo said.

However, human rights violations don’t completely disappear upon arrival to America. Immigrants face harsh work conditions in factories. Yet, for some, this life is still more appealing than living in Mexico, where fear and abuse are rampant.

But Alfargo was optimistic that there are ways to solve human rights infringements on both sides of the border and successfully deal with immigration.

“We have to work bi-nationally,” Alfargo said. “We are looking for new ways (for Mexico and the United States) to work together.”