A Nation of Immigrants
(Originally posted on May 8, 2007)
"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!"
by Emma Lazarus, New York City , 1883
What would you do if your children were hungry? What would you do if you could not make enough money to feed them? What would you do if there were no employment opportunities available in your community? What would you do if you heard about a prosperous place far away that offered hope for a better life? What would you do if you had to break the law to get there?
I know what I would do—I would go there anyway.
Last week the Oklahoma Legislature approved (with bipartisan support) what some are calling the toughest state-level immigration reform in the nation. Meanwhile in Washington , D.C. (where the real responsibility for immigration reform lies) the debate rages on about what the federal government should do. Unfortunately, these debates all too often portray immigrants as dangerous deadbeats seeking to undermine the American way of life. The reality though, is much different.
Virtually all of the illegal immigrants in this country came here not to harm us...but to help themselves. They are not deadbeats, they are economic immigrants looking for a better life. In their home nation, these immigrants had little hope for success. There are few employment prospects. There is little possibility of providing their families with even the essentials like adequate food, clothing, and shelter. In short, there is little hope.
They do not even have much hope of emigrating here legally. Current U.S. immigration policies allow two main types of immigrants into the nation: 1) immediate family members of U.S. citizens or legal residents, and 2) highly skilled knowledge workers. Frankly, impoverished, unskilled workers are not likely to qualify for legal immigration into the U.S.
As a result, these families are left with a draconian choice. They can either choose to stay in their home nation and live legally in extreme poverty, or come to the U.S. and live illegally in relative prosperity. Many of the people being ostracized as illegal immigrants worthy of the wrath of the U.S. government, are simply hard-working, deeply religious people trying to provide for their families. These are not people we should condemn, but people we should welcome.
We certainly need reform, but we also need compassion. The reason we have so much illegal immigration, is that we have made it unnecessarily tough to become a legal immigrant. Therefore, a helpful immigration reform bill will make it easier for economic immigrants to enter this nation legally. We should once again open our doors to those impoverished people who want to work hard...doors that have been closed for too long. Furthermore, we should also allow current illegal immigrants to become legal residents, and eventually invite them to become citizens. After all many of these illegal immigrants have children who are already U.S. citizens. The Urban Institute reports there are nearly 3 million U.S. children in this situation today.
While everyone agrees that we should do all we can to protect our citizens from terrorists, and we should do everything in our power to keep our citizens safe from evildoers, we should also never forget who we are as a nation.
We are a nation of immigrants—a people who faced hardship and hopelessness in far away lands, and who came to these golden shores with little but hopes and dreams. We are also a nation that has an ugly history of mistreating these immigrants as each new wave of immigration has elicited a corresponding wave of bigotry and fear. Yet, we are a nation who is better because these immigrants persevered, worked hard, built a better life, and as a result…a better America .
Instead of more meanness, we need more compassion. We need to recognize that most illegal immigrants just want hope. We need to remember that these illegal immigrants are like us in every way except for their birthplace. We need to understand that these immigrants are people who need our support.
And we should offer this support not because it is easy, not because it is free, but because it is right; because that is who we are as a people; because that is what defines us as a nation…a nation of immigrants.
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!"
by Emma Lazarus, New York City , 1883
What would you do if your children were hungry? What would you do if you could not make enough money to feed them? What would you do if there were no employment opportunities available in your community? What would you do if you heard about a prosperous place far away that offered hope for a better life? What would you do if you had to break the law to get there?
I know what I would do—I would go there anyway.
Last week the Oklahoma Legislature approved (with bipartisan support) what some are calling the toughest state-level immigration reform in the nation. Meanwhile in Washington , D.C. (where the real responsibility for immigration reform lies) the debate rages on about what the federal government should do. Unfortunately, these debates all too often portray immigrants as dangerous deadbeats seeking to undermine the American way of life. The reality though, is much different.
Virtually all of the illegal immigrants in this country came here not to harm us...but to help themselves. They are not deadbeats, they are economic immigrants looking for a better life. In their home nation, these immigrants had little hope for success. There are few employment prospects. There is little possibility of providing their families with even the essentials like adequate food, clothing, and shelter. In short, there is little hope.
They do not even have much hope of emigrating here legally. Current U.S. immigration policies allow two main types of immigrants into the nation: 1) immediate family members of U.S. citizens or legal residents, and 2) highly skilled knowledge workers. Frankly, impoverished, unskilled workers are not likely to qualify for legal immigration into the U.S.
As a result, these families are left with a draconian choice. They can either choose to stay in their home nation and live legally in extreme poverty, or come to the U.S. and live illegally in relative prosperity. Many of the people being ostracized as illegal immigrants worthy of the wrath of the U.S. government, are simply hard-working, deeply religious people trying to provide for their families. These are not people we should condemn, but people we should welcome.
We certainly need reform, but we also need compassion. The reason we have so much illegal immigration, is that we have made it unnecessarily tough to become a legal immigrant. Therefore, a helpful immigration reform bill will make it easier for economic immigrants to enter this nation legally. We should once again open our doors to those impoverished people who want to work hard...doors that have been closed for too long. Furthermore, we should also allow current illegal immigrants to become legal residents, and eventually invite them to become citizens. After all many of these illegal immigrants have children who are already U.S. citizens. The Urban Institute reports there are nearly 3 million U.S. children in this situation today.
While everyone agrees that we should do all we can to protect our citizens from terrorists, and we should do everything in our power to keep our citizens safe from evildoers, we should also never forget who we are as a nation.
We are a nation of immigrants—a people who faced hardship and hopelessness in far away lands, and who came to these golden shores with little but hopes and dreams. We are also a nation that has an ugly history of mistreating these immigrants as each new wave of immigration has elicited a corresponding wave of bigotry and fear. Yet, we are a nation who is better because these immigrants persevered, worked hard, built a better life, and as a result…a better America .
Instead of more meanness, we need more compassion. We need to recognize that most illegal immigrants just want hope. We need to remember that these illegal immigrants are like us in every way except for their birthplace. We need to understand that these immigrants are people who need our support.
And we should offer this support not because it is easy, not because it is free, but because it is right; because that is who we are as a people; because that is what defines us as a nation…a nation of immigrants.
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