Leslie Marmon Silko

In the following viewpoint, Leslie Marmon Silko contends that the U.S. Border Patrol mistreats people of color, immigrants, and white people whose appearance or behavior suggests that they may be aiding illegal immigrants. The fact that the Border Patrol is allowed to detain the occupants of any vehicle violates U.S. residents’ rights to travel freely, she asserts. In Silko’s opinion, many anti-immigration measures—including legal detainment, intimidation, and extensive vehicle and body searches—are discriminatory and unwarranted. Silko is the author of the novels Ceremony and Almanac of the Dead.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What comparison does Silko make between the United States in the 1990s and Argentina in the 1970s"
2. How does Silko describe her own nighttime experience with the Border Patrol in New Mexico"
3. In...