On Oct. 15, the opinion section of The Oswegonian included an article chastising President Joe Biden’s response to potential immigrants coming through the United States-Mexico border. As the son of a hispanic immigrant, with my father being from Portugal, I cannot disagree more with the opinions voiced about immigrants. I am lucky, having an incredible amount of privilege as my name is “John Francis” and nobody could guess I am “technically” hispanic, but others are not so lucky. My family was lucky enough to get visas in the 1980s, but others are not so lucky. My point is immigration to this country is rooted in sheer luck and that is not how it should be.
The term “illegal immigrants” and the association with Mexico has been rooted in a racist and xenophobic history since the birth of Mexico. The United States government has always been at odds against our southern neighbor going back to the Mexican-American War, which was fought over slavery and NOT over any “just” causes, to now over immigration. The culture of individualism and exclusionary patriotism has been a plague on America since its creation.
Immigrants traveling from South and Central America are not looking to destroy the United States, they are looking to join it. People must have the right to search for a better life, and immigration is one of the best ways. Less than 2% of the modern U.S. population is indigineous, and out of that 2% I would think it would be hard to find anyone that is 100% indigineous with no non-indigenous American ancestors. This is the land of immigrants, and it was originally, and still is, taken by force.
In the opinion article on immigration published last week, the author said every illegal immigrant must be deported. That is one of the most damaging ideas I have heard in some time. I work in a seasonal tourist town that relies heavily on international workers, here on visas, to keep the town afloat during the summer because our actual population is so low. I know many of these people overstay their visas, and I am still friends with some that are here illegally. These are some of the hardest workers I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, working some of the worst jobs I have seen. One coworker will work at a breakfast restaurant from 6 a.m. to noon, then work at another restaurant from 1:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. This man was exploited by another restaurant owner who gave him a loan, and forced him to work it off while adding an extreme amount of interest every week. He could not say anything because he would be deported. America is built on the backs of “illegal” immigrants and the removal of them is the removal of the heart of this country.
The process of naturalization can take years, and people do not have years. I agree with Stolberg’s immigration article that Biden’s immigration regulations are wrong, but I think they are not lenient enough. Biden is reinstating former President Donald Trump’s “Stay in Mexico” order that forces asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico until their immigration hearings. Mexico wants the hearings to take less than six months, but people cannot wait six months to immigrate. A conservative immigration system will destroy lives and is directly antithetical to the American dream.
Immigrants, both legal and illegal, make America great. The immigration system is incredibly flawed, and if people want to move to America, let them. If you believe the people applying for asylum or green cards are the ones stealing jobs, that citizens already do not want to work, or are bringing in drugs and crime, please leave your hometown and or take a world awareness course.
Photo from Flickr
