How U.S. interventions created the very immigration crisis it now decries.
Ah, the American Dream™—where freedom rings, corporations flourish, and if you don’t like it, well, there’s always the CIA to help you reconsider.
For over a century, the U.S. has been the self-appointed global nanny, ensuring that any nation daring to prioritize its people’s welfare over American corporate profits receives a swift lesson in “democracy.” And by democracy, we mean coups, assassinations, and economic sabotage.
A Brief History of ‘Liberation’
Let’s take a whirlwind tour of countries that have experienced the benevolent touch of U.S. intervention:
• Guatemala (1954): When President Jacobo Árbenz attempted land reforms threatening the United Fruit Company’s interests, the CIA orchestrated a coup, plunging the nation into decades of civil war and unrest.
• Chile (1973): Salvador Allende’s election scared Wall Street, so the U.S. helped install General Pinochet, whose bloody dictatorship apparently passed the “pro-business” test.
• Nicaragua (1980s): The U.S. funded the Contras against the left-leaning Sandinistas, sparking a brutal conflict that left the country in ruins—but hey, we kept Coca-Cola safe.
• Panama (1989): Under the banner of the War on Drugs (and conveniently the Panama Canal), the U.S. invaded to remove Noriega—once our guy—leaving hundreds of civilians dead.
• Iran (1953): Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh thought Iranians should benefit from their own oil. Big mistake. The CIA staged a coup and reinstalled the Shah, whose secret police made the Gestapo look like mall cops.
• Vietnam (1955–1975): Over 3 million lives lost trying to stop “communism” (and protect American markets). Mission not accomplished.
• Honduras, El Salvador, Brazil, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela—all given their fair share of “freedom packages.”
• Panama again (1955): José Antonio Remón Cantera, a Panamanian president committed to nationalizing the canal and cleaning up corruption, was assassinated under mysterious circumstances. Documents hint at U.S. complicity—because nothing says “democracy” like eliminating leaders who prioritize their people.
Economic Hit Men: How to Own a Country Without Firing a Shot
John Perkins, in Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, describes how developing countries were strong-armed into taking enormous loans from the World Bank and IMF. These were designed not to help, but to enslave—creating debt so suffocating that U.S. corporations could swoop in and privatize everything from water to electricity.
They called it “development.” We call it economic colonization. And if a leader said no? See above. Coup. Assassination. Chaos.
The Great American Boomerang
And now—shock of all shocks—millions of people from these broken nations show up at our doorstep. Not because they hate America, but because our foreign policy burned down their house.
But MAGA says the border is being “invaded”? Let’s be real: if anyone knows how to invade a country, it’s us.
The “immigration emergency” is not a bug. It’s the bill coming due for a century of foreign meddling and corporate greed. Our multinational overlords raked in billions, and now the human cost is knocking at our gates—and we act surprised?
Let’s Talk About Who Really Belongs Here
We love to scream about “illegal immigrants,” but here’s a fun fact: unless you’re Native American, you or your ancestors are immigrants. The truth is, this country was built on stolen land, by stolen labor, for stolen profit. And now we clutch our pearls as people displaced by our wars and policies seek a fraction of the safety and opportunity we promised.
Conclusion: The Crisis We Created
So the next time you hear a politician bemoan the “border crisis,” remember: we built this. We funded it. We armed it. And now we’re criminalizing its victims.
Immigration isn’t the invasion.
The American Empire was.
Art by Patrick Chappatte
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