“Gaming” Illegal Immigration

A company called Owlchemy Labs [Email them]is trying to release an iPhone/iPad app called Smuggle Truck–its intention is highlight the plight of immigrants trying to steal across the US`s non-open borders:

Even though the intention of the intention of the makers in favor of illegal immigration, there`s been a lot of complaints from professional complainers:

Schwartz said the message that developers what to send out through the game — it`s so tough to legally emigrate to the U.S. that it`s almost easier to smuggle yourself over the border despite the dangers.

But Eva Millona, [Email her, ]executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrants & Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said the game is in poor taste and trivializes the seriousness of immigrants willing to risk their lives under a broken immigration system.

“Last year, 170 human beings died crossing the border,” Millona said in statement. “It`s disgraceful that anyone would try to make money out of this tragedy by making light of it in a game.”

Patricia Montes,[Email her] executive director of Centro Presente, a Somerville, Massachusetts-based Latino immigrant advocacy group, agreed.

“I don`t think that people who are trying to emigrate into the U.S. think they are part of a game,” Montes said. “They do it because they are desperate.”[Mass. company draws fire for immigration game app, Russell Contreras, Associate d Press, Feb 7, 2011
Feb. 7, 2011]

It`s the fact that Owlchemy is a Massachusetts company that led Professional Hispanic journalist Russell Contreras to seek quotes from these particular “immigrant advocates.” There are a lot of stories on this publicity stunt, which if anything, highlights how reckless illegal immigrants are. They`re not just “willing to risk their lives,” they`re willing to risk the lives of their children, and they are doing so not to escape political persecution, but for money.