In the first week that President Donald Trump took office, there were speeches and protests about the resistance to the physical division between the United States and Latin America.

The outbursts are the result of problems that have been rooted more directly toward the racial division in the US. The need for classification and segregation in America has always been prevalent but has silently expanded into an offensive campaign platform.

The US-Mexican border is a glorified racial divide, one that demolishes the idea of unity.

On Feb. 17, up to 1,500 people on the Mexican side of the border, peacefully demonstrated. They linked arms along the Rio Grande, between the Texas city of El Paso and the Chihuahua city of Juarez.

The peaceful demonstration shows the disconnect between the two countries. Trump’s America cares more about dividing countries and people than actually making a positive change.

When Trump said, “The United States of America gets back control of its borders,” he explicitly targeted Mexico and it’s citizens as a problem. The millions of immigrants in America that hold critical roles in US society are not the problem.

If Trump wanted to be practical, then the variables of losing immigrants would mean a decline in the billions of dollars in revenue that make up the agricultural industry.

Although there’s an ample amount of successful peaceful marches, solidarity social media posts and actions taken by people opposing the wall, the White House has yet to reconsider their stance.

Despite the lack of action by the President, people still need to continue protesting peacefully. Violence only allows Trump to convince himself that he is right and that the protestors are not worth listening to.

The world needs to use peaceful demonstration, especially when regarding the wall. Families are being torn apart, and although many people believe jobs will suddenly open up across the US, that is not the case.

Restricting Latin America from the US is a detriment to both parties. While America loses millions of dollars because of the sudden deportation of immigrants, the citizens of Latin America lose the chance to live the fabled American Dream.

The wall might not seem like a severe issue to people who aren’t immigrants, but it is a problem that affects everyone. Preventing the major divide between the two countries is important to avoid further segregating America as a country.

Marrion Cruz can be reached at [email protected] or @TheOrion_News on Twitter.