{"id":40807,"date":"2025-02-24T16:50:35","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T00:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=40807"},"modified":"2025-02-24T06:56:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T14:56:11","slug":"immigration-is-a-mess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/immigration-is-a-mess\/","title":{"rendered":"Immigration is a MESS!"},"content":{"rendered":"

After reading Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems: <\/em>I realize that our country no longer has an immigration problem; our country has an immigration mess. In this post I will define tame and wicked problems, define a mess (it may or may not be my son\u2019s bedroom), show why immigration is a mess, and discuss how to tame a problem.<\/p>\n

A problem according to Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber can be categorized as either being tame or wicked.[1]<\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cProblems that lent themselves to straightforward solutions they called \u2018tame problems.\u2019\u00a0 Those that were inherently too difficult to solve they named \u2018wicked problems.\u2019\u201d[2]<\/a> \u00a0Keep in mind that the use of the term wicked doesn\u2019t mean evil. Its like Bostonians using the term more as an intensifier like Thomas Porter did in 1663 \u201c\u2019 Yesterday was a hot day, a wicked hot day.\u2019\u201d[3]<\/a>\u00a0 Bentley and Toth state that wicked describes problems that are \u201ccomplex, messy, and unpredictable.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

Messes on the other hand were identified by Russell Ackoff as being a \u201c\u2019complex systems of [many] changing problems that interact with each other.\u2019\u201d[5]<\/a> Toth and Bentley expand on this description saying messes are ongoing, interrelated, dynamic, fuzzy, complicated, confusing, complex, chaotic situations.\u00a0 They exist in our societies and in our lives.\u00a0 They are incubators of wicked problems.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

Ackoff \u201cexplained that people \u2018do not solve problems; they manage messes.\u2019\u00a0 So when we think we are talking about problems, what we are usually referring to are messes.\u00a0 And by not acknowledging the difference, we end up setting the stage for new problems; misunderstandings that too often lead to premature conclusions, blaming and fault finding, increased frustration and unhelpful conflict.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

So why is Immigration a mess?\u00a0 Because it involves a series of complex chaotic situations that we can only hope to manage.<\/p>\n

Do you remember doing The 5 Whys as part of your Exploration Workshop?\u00a0 This activity is \u201cabout understanding the root cause of a problem so that people can get the greatest leverage out of solving it.\u201d[8]<\/a> Let\u2019s conduct the activity with Immigration and see one possible understanding of the immigration mess.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Why do people, specifically from Central and South America Immigrate to the United States? Many immigrate because they do not feel safe in their own country.[9]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/li>\n
  2. Why do they not feel safe? Because of the violence associated with the drug cartels that are taking over the country.[10]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/li>\n
  3. Why are drug cartels taking over the country? Because manufacturing and selling drugs is a very lucrative business and the cartels do anything they can to stay in business and in power.[11]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/li>\n
  4. Why are drugs a lucrative business? Because the United States is the biggest consumer of drugs manufactured in Central and South America.\u00a0 Of the 29-30 million people chronically addicted to drugs, the 2017 World Drug Report estimates at least 24 million of those live in the United States.[12]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/li>\n
  5. Why are people in the United States Using Drugs? Because it is easier to temporarily escape your issue (mental health, domestic violence, abuse, poverty, etc.) through drug use than to deal with present reality.[13]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The reality is that we could go way beyond the 5 Whys and your answer to the first why may take us down a completely different trail.\u00a0 In the end though we find that each answer reveals an interrelated, complicated, complex, chaotic problem, thus making this a big mess.\u00a0 The question is where does one begin to manage the mess?\u00a0 Is deporting people, building a wall, or attempting to eradicate the cartels the solution?<\/p>\n

    Bentley and Toth describe a process to tame the problem that involves nine steps[14]<\/a><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Embrace the Mess \u2013 this basically means to not deny that the mess exists.<\/li>\n
    2. Find the Problem \u2013 this involves researching the mess and identifying things that resembles a problem(s).<\/li>\n
    3. Own the Problem \u2013 this involves making the problem a priority and ensuring that something gets done about it.<\/li>\n
    4. Create the Problem \u2013 This is deciding what part of the mess you want to work on addressing.[15]<\/a><\/li>\n
    5. Define the Problem \u2013 this involves locating the gap from where things are currently to where you want things to be in the future and setting goals.<\/li>\n
    6. Name the Problem \u2013 without a name there is no consensus on what you are talking about and therefore cannot make plans to address it.<\/li>\n
    7. Identifying the Obstacles \u2013 this is identifying and naming what will block your progress in obtaining your future goals<\/li>\n
    8. Recruit, Enlist, and Engage Others \u2013 this involves finding stakeholders that share a common interest\/concern.<\/li>\n
    9. Create and Implement an Action Plan \u2013 this involves creating a plan to overcome the obstacles and developing a method to monitor your progress.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      I feel like these are the steps that we have been taking as we work on our doctoral project. I wish I had read this book prior to starting the program to give me a better understanding of where I have been heading.\u00a0 This is a great process, and I can envision incorporating this into the classroom, especially the Social Work for Organizations and Communities and Social Justice and Advocacy courses.\u00a0 However, I wonder if anyone in the legislative and executive branches of local, state, and federal government engage in this process to confront out messes and problems?\u00a0 I hope that each of you have a wicked good week!<\/p>\n

      [1]<\/a> Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems: What They Are and Why They Are Important,<\/em> (Bloomington, IN: Archway Publishing, 2020)., xii-xiv.<\/p>\n

      [2]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, xiv.<\/p>\n

      [3]<\/a> Molly Farrar, \u201cWickedpedia: When did people in Boston start saying \u2018wicked\u2019?\u201d \u00a0Boston.com, July 29, 2024, https:\/\/www.boston.com\/news\/wickedpedia\/2024\/07\/29\/wickedpedia-when-did-people-in-boston-start-saying-wicked\/<\/a><\/p>\n

      [4]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, xiv.<\/p>\n

      [5]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, 63.<\/p>\n

      [6]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, 63.<\/p>\n

      [7]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, 75-76.<\/p>\n

      [8]<\/a> David Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo. Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers. (<\/em>Sebastopol, CA: O\u2019Reilly Media, 2010), 143..<\/em><\/p>\n

      [9]<\/a> Sarah Bermeo, \u201cViolence drives immigration from Central America,\u201d Brookings Institution, June 26, 2018, \u00a0https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/articles\/violence-drives-immigration-from-central-america\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      [10]<\/a> Bermeo.<\/p>\n

      [11]<\/a> Sanchez, \u201cWhy Are The Cartels So Powerful In Mexico? A Historical And In-Depth Analysis,\u201d Scientific Origin, September 19, 2024, \u00a0https:\/\/scientificorigin.com\/why-are-the-cartels-so-powerful-in-mexico-a-historical-and-in-depth-analysis<\/a>; Hern\u00e1ndez, \u201cHow Drug Trafficking Has Kept Its Hold on Latin America,\u201d Havard International Review, June 26, 2024, https:\/\/hir.harvard.edu\/knowledge-soil-politics-and-poverty-how-drug-trafficking-has-kept-its-hold-on-latin-america\/<\/a><\/p>\n

      [12]<\/a> Rehab America, \u201cHow the U.S. Drug Problem Compares to Other Countries,\u201d October 5, 2018, \u00a0https:\/\/www.rehabsamerica.org\/blog\/how-the-u-s–drug-problem-compares-to-other-countries-137<\/a><\/p>\n

      [13]<\/a> National Institute on Drug Abuse, \u201cThe Science of Drug Abuse: A Resource for the Justice Sector, November 23, 2022, https:\/\/nida.nih.gov\/research-topics\/criminal-justice\/science-drug-use-resource-justice-sector<\/a>; N, Estrellado, \u201cSubstance Abuse and Domestic Violence: National Statistics,\u201d Addiction Group, July 16, 2024, https:\/\/www.addictiongroup.org\/resources\/domestic-violence-statistics\/<\/a>; United Nations, \u201cVoices: Maria Melchoir,\u201d accessed on January 24, 2025, \u00a0https:\/\/www.unodc.org\/unodc\/en\/listen-first\/voices\/maria-melchior.html<\/a><\/p>\n

      [14]<\/a> Unless other wise noted, the nine steps and their descriptions come from Bentley and Toth, 80-82.<\/p>\n

      [15]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, 105.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      After reading Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems: I realize that our country no longer has an immigration problem; our country has an immigration mess. In this post I will define tame and wicked problems, define a mess (it may or may not be my son\u2019s bedroom), show why immigration is a mess, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":200,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[3425],"class_list":["post-40807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bentley-toth-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/200"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40807"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40809,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40807\/revisions\/40809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}