I remember the first time I met him. I was in my biology class my freshman year of high school, and he was seated next to me by the teacher, because he talked too much and I did not talk at all. I don’t think my teacher realized she made a match made in heaven, but Javi and I have been close ever since. He asked me for a pencil and to look at my homework, he made me laugh and he asked me about myself. He actually cared what I had to say, not like other guys I had “talked” to.
He would always make jokes about being undocumented, but I never wanted to assume anything. People would comment on his accent, which made me angry because my dad also has an accent. I also didn’t care about his status in this country because my father had also come to this country without permission. After a few months, he told me his very personal story of how he got here only a few years before we met. I admired him so much more because he had really been through hell and back in life. Even with everything he had been through, he was the happiest person I knew, and he was wise beyond his years.
A few years into the relationship, he had helped me through the hardest time of my life so far. I was struggling with anxiety and depression, making it difficult to give love or to feel loved. He held my hand, rubbed my back, and would even sing to me though panic attacks. He was and is such a selfless person. Looking back, I believe this even more because he was fighting his own battles at the time.
He was a senior, and he began applying to colleges. I was shocked to learn that he received letters of acceptance, but they stated that he could not get financial aid, or even be able to get a degree, he could only take classes. Even when DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) came around, he was not able to apply for that because he came a few months after the deadline. He was told it was best to not apply because he did not meet all of the requisites, because it could be used against him later.
This happy, funny optimistic person I had fallen in love with was completely crushed. He wanted to make his family proud, but he couldn’t because he didn’t have a nine-digit number to prove he is a person. However, he did graduate from high school, and I was so happy for him. He was working his butt off in a factory and going to school part-time. (Because that was all he could afford.)
A few months after I turned 18, Javi and I got married. I was still in high school, and he pushed me to get good grades. He knew that I always wanted to attend Goshen College, and he supported me in every way possible. When I graduated, I made the decision to attend Goshen College. I am now in my Junior year of college, and this “illegal alien” has put me through three years of college at a private school.
The truth is that the “immigration problem” that the media loves to rave about is not even factual. Former Democratic candidate Martin O'Malley made a statement at one of the political debates that surprised many.Turns out, net immigration from Mexico is actually at 0% since 2010.
According to Politifact, this statement is mostly true. So, Why do politicians keep making this such a big deal? Why are they so obsessed with building a wall? Especially when around 40 percent of undocumented immigrants come to the United States legally, but over stay their visas.
Honestly, does making a wall even make sense after learning about this statistic? Or is this issue more about racism than the actual legality of these people? I mean, has anyone ever put the spotlight on undocumented immigrants from Europe? Are they called rapists or drug dealers? Do we pay as much attention to the Canadian border as we do to the Mexican border? Of course not.
The issue is not Mexicans crossing the border illegally. The issue is politicians and the media making this an issue. Mexicans have been in the country for a very long time, longer than 20 years. If politicians actually thought that undocumented immigrants were violent and do not pay taxes, then why hasn't there been policy to incriminate these people? These people contribute so much more to the US economy than they take away. However, they are much more likely to be exploited because of their status.
The issue is not the hardworking people without documentation, it is the broken immigration system and systematic racism that has been affecting poor brown people in this country for years. Before we start attacking and blaming immigrants for all of our problems, let's take a look at the facts first.
