Recently I had a
conversation with a friend who has a long acquaintance with Latin America, especially
Mexico. Years ago, he did post graduate work in Mexico where he met his future
wife. Eventually, he went into the commercial insurance business and spent most
of his career in Latin America.
He retired a couple of
years ago and told me that he would never go back to Mexico despite his love
for the country and its people. Even though his wife still has family near
Mexico City, they are afraid to return because it has become too dangerous.
He described a country
terrorized by drug gangs in the same way that ISIS is terrorizing the people of
Iraq and Syria. Unless you join the drug gangs or cooperate with them, you and
your family will be brutally persecuted. He believes that the people who we
call illegal immigrants should actually be considered refugees fleeing to
America for their lives.
From his perspective when
people like Donald Trump rail against illegal immigrants, and talk about
deporting 11000000 people back to Mexico, they are really telling these people
to go to hell.
Put aside for a moment the
impractically of searching out and rounding up 11 Million people (where did
Trump get that number?) and then shipping them back to Mexico, just consider
how contrary this is to all that America used to stand for.
Most of us are descendants
of immigrants who for one reason or another fled their homeland to find peace
and opportunity for their families in America. Most of our forebears would have
been illegal if the unjust immigration laws of the 1920s, which were the
product of KKK like bigotry and prejudice, had been in existence when they
came.
In the 1920’s racists and
advocates of ethnic purity decided to stem the flow of immigration into this
country. They wanted no more undesirables, especially if they practiced alien
religions like Catholicism and Judaism. New immigration laws made during the
1920s made a mockery of the Statue of Liberty and the famous poem written by
Emma Lazarus.
"Keep,
ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips.
"Give
me your tired, your poor,
Your
huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The
wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Why does Donald Trump
advocate such a cruel and inhumane policy? Why do he and others insist on
enforcing laws that were the product of racism and religious bigotry?
If the law was different
all of these immigrants could have entered the country peacefully without
danger to life and limb and without employing criminals to guide them. I’m not
saying we should be stupid or impractical. They should have to apply for
citizenship and meet certain criteria. They should not immediately enjoy all
the benefits of citizenship, for citizenship in this country should still be
regarded as a great privilege.
Finally, opening up our
doors again will provide great benefits. It is not just a question of who will
cut our lawns, remove our garbage, or paint our homes, but how will we compete
with China’s huge population with only 300 million people? Who will buy up our
unused housing if our population continues to decline? Don’t immigrants now
rent American apartments, drive American cars, and buy American products in
American stores?
Finally, the pressure on
those states that now bear the brunt of illegal immigration will be alleviated.
The millions of dollars now spent on controlling the Mexican border can be allocated
to other purposes.
For many reasons we need
these immigrants. We need them more than we need Donald Trump. ###
Claire comments from Connecticut:
ReplyDeleteImmigration is a very touchy matter, and you repeat many of the arguments others have stated. But there are a few things to keep in mind. Most of the people who entered in the early 20th century did so legally, far different from the current situation where illegals number more than a million. Therefore, it is difficult to compare the two or say that our attitude toward the two goups should be the same. True that most of those (legals) in the early 20th century and the current illegals came to better their lives. From what I know of the Italian mind, I think that if the laws had been different in the first quarter of the 20th century, persons wanting to leave Italy would not have opted to enter the US illegally, but would have gone to other countries in Europe or to Canada. In other words, they would have found a legal route to leaving. Also, one should keep in mind that if we were to open our borders to all who seek a "better life," we would soon find ourselves in a situation similar to what Italy and Greece are now facing with the huge number of immigrants that are flooding their shores. This has taken a tremendous toll on public services, the job market, schools, religions, culture, etc. Immigration policy needs to be revamped, but revamped in favor of the needs of the country and its current population. ###