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Matthew Nadeau
Kailey Quist
Rourke Stark

Carol Sieverts

English 1010

6 October 2017

Rhetorical Analysis

DACA and the Surge in Unaccompanied Minors at the US-Mexico Border.

Written by Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes and Thitima Puttitanun, DACA and the Surge in

Unaccompanied Minors at the US-Mexico Border is a highly detailed professional research

article. Both authors are professors of economics at their respective universities; Dorantes at San

Diego State University, and Puttitanun at Kasetsart University, Bangkok. Both authors are

competent professionals who have together published multiple scholarly works on the topic of

international immigration (Amuedo-Dorantes).

Their research was published in International Migration, a bimonthly review issued by

the International Organization for Migration or IOM. According to IOM, International

Migration is a refereed bimonthly review of the International Organization for Migration on

current migration issues as analysed by demographers, economists, and sociologists all over the

world (International Migration).

IOM is an intergovernmental organization with 165 member nations and 8 observer

nations (IOM history). It is the migration arm of the United Nations, and is highly respected

with a great deal of worldwide influence. IOM specializes in assisting migrants throughout the

world by providing financial aid to displaced people (IOM).

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The article was written to explore the idea that DACA was causing a flow of

unaccompanied alien children. The thesis is implicit in the first few paragraphs, and made clear

in the conclusion: DACA was not the direct cause of the influx of illegal youth. They explain

that although there is an increase in unaccompanied minors being apprehended at the US-Mexico

border, it is due to other key factors. The authors argue that politicians have correlated the

implementation of DACA with the increase in minors crossing the border, and through their

article, they seek to debunk that claim.

Ethos is clear in each of the citations the article provides, and, as is fitting for an

academic paper, has every citation necessary. The authors use several scholarly works to help

maintain their reliability. They also cite the US Customs Border Protection and other

governmental sources that increase the soundness of their research (Amuedo-Dorantes).

The intended audience for this article is primarily academic. However, the paper contains

many facts pertinent to the general public. It employs pathos by maintaining a professional tone,

and appealing to its target audience by logical well cited argumentation. The article is purely

factual, and lacks any explicit appeal to emotion, failing to use pathos in that regard. But because

the article is an argumentative research piece, an appeal to emotion isnt necessary to advance

the thesis.

The article maintains excellent logos all throughout. The authors begin by establishing a

foundation for their argument, and addressing the purpose of their article by establishing their

thesis. Each subsequent point reinforces the the thesis, formulating a well thought out and

convincing argument.

The main source of the authors evidence is from the US Customs and Border Protection

(CBP) via a freedom of information act (Amuedo-Dorantes). Using CBP apprehension statistics,
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Dorantes and Puttitanun develop a method to determine if DACA had any role in the increase in

minors illegally entering the United States. In addition, the authors cite several credible books

and research journals to support their argument and lay its foundation. In this way, the article

epitomizes logos by being logical, reasonable, and well supported.

The article is well written and has no obvious technical errors. However, it does contain

several awkwardly phrased sentences, making it more difficult to read. The article contains large

blocks of text and complicated graphs in addition to the mathematical formula Amuedo-Dorantes

and Puttitanun used, thus compounding its complexity.

The document is orderly and has progressive movement; the authors start with the

necessary background information and move through the evidence systematically to their

conclusions. The article is separated by bolded headings that help organization. It also contains

several graphs, the majority of which are clear and easy to understand. Overall, the article serves

its role well as an academic paper, but to the average reader is intimidating.

DACA and the Surge in Unaccompanied Minors at the US-Mexico Border is a reliable

article written by professionals in their field. It establishes a clear thesis, and exhibits ethos

through clear, thorough citations. Considering the intended audience, it also maintains good

pathos by being written in a professional manner. Logos is clear through its clear organization

and logical argumentation. Although well written, it can be confusing at times, and contains

helpful graphs. The article makes its case clear: DACA is not to blame for the crisis at the

border.

Works Cited

Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina and Thitima Puttitanun. "DACA and the Surge in Unaccompanied
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Minors at the US-Mexico Border." International Migration, vol. 54, no. 4, Aug. 2016,

pp. 102-117. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/imig.12250.

International Migration Journal. International Organization for Migration, 16 Nov. 2016,

www.iom.int/international-migration-journal.

IOM History. International Organization for Migration, International Organization for

Migration, 7 July 2016, www.iom.int/iom-history.