• About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
      Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
    • First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In
      First-Year Students Reflect on Their Expectations for College, One Semester In
    • “We Want to Fundamentally Change the Culture,” International Student Union says
      “We Want to Fundamentally Change the Culture,” International Student Union says
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
      Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
    • The block system is a joke
      The block system is a joke
    • Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls
      Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Harry Styles de-typifies masculinity in Vogue’s December Issue, but is this enough? (spoiler: it’s not)
      Harry Styles de-typifies masculinity in Vogue’s December Issue, but is this enough? (spoiler: it’s not)
    • Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester
      Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester
    • Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart
      Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
  • Health and Wellness
    • No image
      Athletic impacts of Covid-19
    • No image
      A new kind of PE
    • No image
      Maintaining wellness as the cold sets in
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • Miscellanea
    • No image
      Remote students experience existential crises; change class years in email signatures
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
      Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
    • The Artichoke
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Hadley Banas OpinionsApril 17, 2019

Fears grow as we anticipate the consequences of the US.-Mexico border close on our supply of avocados

Photo Courtesy of The Guardian

Steve Barnard, president and chief executive of Mission Produce, the largest distributor of avocados, recently claimed that the United States will run out of avocados in three weeks if President Trump decides to close the US-Mexico border. This newsline has become the cause of concern for many; the public reaction, however, should be noticed, as it demonstrates the true nature of many Americans. Rather than being concerned about the human rights violations committed at the US-Mexico border by the US government, many Americans are taking notice of immigration and trade policy because it now directly impacts their consumption of the trendy instagram fruit: avocados.

Mexico is the source for roughly 90 percent of imported avocados in the United States. If imports were to cease, Americans would run out of avocados in three short weeks. This fact has created a national state of alarm — because where would we be without our daily avocado toasts, guacamole, trendy salads and smoothies? Media attention concerning the avocado’s fate has exploded, in many cases overshadowing the immigration crisis. Many have turned to memes, tweets and puns to cope with the news. This leads us to wonder about what the avocado scandal indicates about the United States’ values. Do we really care that much about this popular fruit or is it simply a tangible manifestation of a larger issue: the United States’ relation with its southern neighbor?

Far from trivializing a potential bilateral trade crisis, some experts say that the focus on the avocado is emphasizing the effect President Trump’s decision would have on Americans. Reinsch, who was previously president of the National Foreign Trade Council, commented: “It’s a handy shorthand way of illustrating how an abstract issue like international trade actually affects people’s lives day by day. … It allows people to more easily understand the interconnectedness of the global marketplace and demonstrates the benefits of globalization.”

A dwindling avocado supply is only one out of the many consequences this decision would have on Americans and Mexicans alike. Americans in all job sectors — whether that be manufacturing, farming or small businesses — would take a big hit, along with border residents and migrants, if this decision were to go through. This situation could quickly become as much of a humanitarian issue as it is currently an economic one; behind all the trade issues, there are actual people who will be affected. Northern Mexican cities that depend on trade with the United States would be devastated by any extended border closing, leading to mass unemployment that could actually create more attempts to cross the United States border. Under United States law, asylum seekers can request protections once they reach American soil — meaning the closing could actually encourage more desperate flights across the border. If anything, these new decisions concerning the border will only promote more poverty in Mexico, which would then turn into more pressure on immigration in the U.S.

It is unfortunate that something as trivial as the avocado is the catalyst for American discourse regarding the US-Mexico border. With that being said, all Americans need to understand the severity of the border crisis and the problems surrounding it — and, maybe in the meantime, choose a different spread for trendy toast.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleLetter to the Editors: Re: “The referendum petition shows a clear disregard for constitutional principles”
Next articleProspies deserve to know the truth about the Wellesley experience

You may also like

A piece of pizza missing topings.

Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?

The block system is a joke

Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

  • Harry Styles de-typifies masculinity in Vogue’s December Iss...
  • Students Remember the Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsberg

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top