U.S. Government Creates a Catchy Anti-Immigration Propaganda Song for Central Americans. It’s a Hit!

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) has conjured up quite
the catchy tune in an effort to dissuade any more immigrants from
illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Daily Beast reports that the the CBP commissioned
the creation of a song called “La Bestia,” or “The Beast,” which
tells a tale of violence and death set to catchy upbeat music. The
beast “refers to the notoriously dangerous freight train upon which
thousands of migrants ride from Southern Mexico” to the U.S.
border.

And it’s a hit, too. People in Honduras, Guatemala, and El
Salvador call local radio stations to request the song. It’s
currently played by 21 radio stations.

Some of the lyrics translated from Spanish:

“Migrants from everywhere, entrenched along the rail ties. Far
away from where they come, further away from where they go. They
call her the Beast from the South, this wretched train of death.
With the devil in the boiler, whistles, roars, twists and
turns.”

This is not the first time CBP has taken a melodic approach to
propaganda. In 2004, the agency created a campaign “to spread
awareness about the dangers of the Sonoran desert” though which
many would-be migrants must pass. The campaign included
distributing a CD of five songs to Mexican radio stations.

The agency
recently announced plans to launch a new million-dollar
campaign to discourage families from sending their
children across the border.