Good Reads Library
We Are All Immigrants--Just Some Of Us Came Sooner Than Others
I am the granddaughter of immigrants. My husband is the son of immigrants who came here 50 years ago.
Unless your ancestors were here when the Pilgrims and the others came in, you are the descendent of immigrants. And for that matter, the Native Americans are said to have crossed here from Asia long,long, ago.
So don't go spouting about immigrants as if they were something far, far, different from your family or mine!
The big difference between many Americans and the current immigrants is that the US did not create any laws regulating immigration until the 1880s. And quotas did not begin until 1921.
Immigrants have always been discriminated against, especially if they were not of the same ethnic group or religion than the mainstream. The "noble" Pilgrims kicked Roger Williams out of Massachusetts for his views, along with Quakers and just about anyone else unwilling to live their way of life. Ever hear of "no Irish need apply"? Or of the discrimination practiced against the Chinese in the West during the building of the railroad and the Gold Rush? Or the covenants that prevented Jews from buying homes in many parts of the country?
We all came from somewhere else. We all fought for our rights, assimilated, built lives for our families here.
I live in an area where there are thousands of immigrants and I can tell you that they want for their kids exactly what you want for yours. A better life.
They're going to keep coming even if illegal immigration IS declared to be felony.. They're willing to take the risks and dangers of illegal immigration. People are preyed upon as they try to cross the desert in the Southwest. They drown on rafts trying to get here from Cuba or Haiti. They sell themselves into slavery in order to be smuggled here from China in horrific transportation.
Illegal immigrants are doing jobs no one wants to do, or are doing jobs legal immigrants and citizens MIGHT do, if they were paid a living wage and benefits and guaranteed their rights. But it's easier for employers to hire day laborers whom they can cheat of their wages and work without health or safety considerations, or for a mother to hire a nanny who she doesn't have to pay Social Security too--someone of who she can demand incredibly long working hours. Someone who she can treat as she likes--because that worker has no rights.
We can't stop them. We can't shut the borders. But we can regulate them.
We can let immigrants walk into this country AFTER they've been screened.
We can give every one of them a Social Security type number and an ID card.
We can expect them to work--and with legal tracking we can stop the abuse of cheap labor by greedy businesses and individuals.
We can tax their wages so they are paying into the system for the benefits they and their families use.
Want to make them to assimilate? We can put our money where our mouth is when it comes to teaching them English. Most language classes in my area are PACKED--and there's never enough funding for enough classes. People WANT to learn English and get ahead--but if there are no classes available, or if they are too busy holding down two or three dead end jobs to support their families, they have no chance to learn!
Down the street from me there is a church that is running English classes AND offering child care for the parents. The mothers can go to class AND the children are learning English language skills too. The whole family benefits........
Immigrants are smart, tough, people. They have to be to leave their families, leave their homes, leave their countries and come here.
We need to regulate them. But in a way that will HELP them, not turn them into criminals!
We were all immigrants once. We need to remember that and to deal with these new immigrants accordingly.
THAT'S the American Way.......................................................................
