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Anibal F Figueroa Escoto

Mr. Armando

English or something

September 1st, 2023 (9/1/2023)

The evil of the Coyotes

Immigration in the United States is one of the many hot topics that are debated today.

With the US being one of the most prosperous countries in the world, many flock to its cities in

search of the many luxuries American life has to offer. Many of the immigrants residing in the

US today have traveled here in search of a better life due to poor living conditions, to escape

some danger such as crime, and a multitude of other reasons that involve not being able to live

safely. The most well-known of these examples is the illegal crossing of immigrants from the

countries south of the US. Tons of people from Central and South America cross illegally

through multiple methods into the US, flowing into its many states. But to do this, these

immigrants must find someone to help them cross the border safely. This is where Coyotes come

in. Coyotes are the people responsible for guiding the many immigrants across the border and

into the US. Many fear getting caught by Border Patrol while crossing illegally, but they don’t

realize that the biggest danger to those crossing illegally isn’t Border Patrol, it’s the ones guiding

them: The Coyotes. Coyotes were well known for their mistreatment of their immigrants while

crossing, occasionally even leaving them for dead in the blazing hot desert. We can see some

second-hand stories of the cruelty Coyotes exhibited in the book The Devil’s Highway by Luis

Alberto Urrea where we are told the story of the “Yuma-12”, a group of immigrants that

attempted to cross the border but were left for dead by their Coyote. By sharing this story with

us, Luis also describes the major mistreatment that people suffer from at the hands of these
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immoral Coyotes. In the book, we see the disdain everyone has for the Coyotes, and this raises

the question of whether the hate these Coyotes garnered is truly merited. To this question, I

answer that the Coyotes truly do deserve the hate and disrespect they receive from everyone due

to their constant mistreatment of their immigrants and the disrespect they display when leaving

their immigrants for dead or leaving them behind.

The reason many hate Coyotes is because of their absolute lack of respect or humanity.

What I mean by this is that Coyotes consider the immigrants they are leading as nothing more

than a paycheck. Many Coyotes get into the business for the money which leads to eventually

not caring much about those you lead into the blistering desert. We can see an example of this in

the book where it is stated that “But two things that most unify the [Americans and Mexican

Counsel are] each side's simmering hatred for the human smugglers, the gangsters who call

themselves Coyotes.” (Urrea, 54) This excerpt shows that the evil the Coyotes display can be

considered so heinous that even the Mexican Counsel and Americans agree that they are evil.

This excerpt emphasizes the unity felt by both sides in condemning the practices of the Coyotes.

This excerpt stressed that if both sides show disdain for these actions, then they must be very

wrong since it is implied that both sides rarely agree on much. This just works to reinforce the

fact that the Coyotes should be despised due to their actions. This is further supported by a sign

that was noted within the book, stating:

For The Coyotes Your Needs Are

Only A Business And

They Don't Care About Your Safety

Or The Safety Of Your Family.

DON'T PAY THEM OFF WITH YOUR LIVES!!!

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(Urreal, 55) This sign found within the book helps to explain a little more about what the

Mexicans and Americans believe about the Coyotes. This helps to support the evidence that they

both show hatred for the Coyotes and their actions, helping to support the idea that the Coyotes

treat their immigrants very harshly and don’t even consider them human and instead just a

paycheck.

To further support this point, we can take a look at the book again and find many excerpts

where we see just how bad the mistreatment of the Coyotes went. We can find some excerpts

that state "Every week, walkers are left to die by their [guides]. It is so common that it must be

seen as a standard Coyote practice. A business move." (Urrea, 68) This excerpt describes how

Coyotes will often leave immigrants to die in the blazing sun in the desert because it is easier for

the Coyotes to travel with less of a load. As the excerpt put it, a “business move”. This idea of

leaving others to die alone in the desert just because it's easier on you shows just how cruel these

Coyotes are, having no concern for human life and giving it no value. This act of not caring

about others' deaths and even indirectly causing it leads me to believe that the hate the Coyotes

receive is completely warranted due to their inhuman actions. No human should leave other

humans to die just because they feel like it, especially someone who is meant to guide others to a

better place which these Coyotes were supposed to do. We can see further evidence of this in a

note within the book where a Coyote who abandoned his group in the desert states "By way of

this letter, I ask forgiveness and pardon for what happened in the Arizona desert, because I really

am sorry from the bottom of my heart for what happened and it honestly wasn't my intention to

lead those people to their deaths." (Urrea, 68) While many may see this as an apology where

someone apologizes and shares their true intentions, it is better to see this as an admission of

guilt. Maybe had the Coyote not left the group alone unattended, the group would have
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completely survived. But instead, the shameless Coyote decided to abandon his group and let

them die in the desert. This just further proves that the Coyotes deserve the hate they received

because of their inhumane actions and shameful acts like leaving others to die in the desert.

Although the points I provide are very strong, many still argue that maybe the Coyotes

don’t deserve the hate they receive. Among many of the different reasons some provide for this

argument, a prevalent piece of evidence that can be found in the book that helps to support this

argument is an excerpt from a coyote note that shows his excuse for accidentally leaving his

immigrants for dead, with the note stating “The wages were truly very low, and that was my

reason for getting involved in the smuggling business.” (Urrea, 70) By stating this, the Coyote

from the note attempts to diverge our attention to the many people he led to their deaths and

instead tries to instill a sense of sympathy within the readers of the note, attempting to make

excuses for himself and his actions. While this is a strong point, it does not excuse his actions.

Consider this: If he truly did care about his immigrants, then he would take every measure

possible to keep them safe and away from harm's way. Did this Coyote do that? No. In fact, he

actually fed drugs to the immigrants in order to have them walk faster and longer, not for their

safety but for an easier job for the Coyote. Within the book, we see it stated that “In 2003, it was

reported in the Arizona press that low-rent Coyotes were using a new chemical prod to speed up

their walkers.” (Urrea, 67) If this Coyote was truly looking out for his own, he wouldn’t stuff

them with drugs to get an easier paycheck for himself. But sadly, this is not the case. The truth is

that this Coyote and many other Coyotes follow these shady business practices that endanger or

cause problems for their immigrants yet don’t care or feel bad for any issues that arise from their

own choices. So tell me, do you think someone like this who only considers humans as easy

paychecks should receive our sympathy for endangering people and occasionally even getting
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them killed? Because of this, I believe the hate and aggression Coyotes receive is not only

deserved but warranted.

In conclusion, the Coyotes really are evil humans who have no consideration for the lives

of other humans and only consider them paychecks. Should someone who truly has no humanity

left in them really be given pity or the benefit of the doubt? No, they shouldn’t. Because of this, I

believe that all the hate and controversy that surrounds Coyotes is deserved completely, with no

reason to have any pity left, especially when they leave human beings to die in the hot deserts of

the American border.