The great American icon, famous for fighting crime in his underwear and an unnecessary cape (though it’s a bold fashion statement). Superman was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and debuted in June of 1938 to an unsuspecting public, eventually going on to become the greatest, or at least most powerful (read: overpowered) comic book hero in existence. Superman however, despite being American in cultural terms, is not really a US citizen or permanent resident. He was born on his home planet of Krypton, and was given the name Kal-El by his biological parents. Soon after his birth, his parents sent him on a space craft set on a course to Earth, to spare him from the fate of his planet, which is destroyed via planetary explosion shortly after Kal-El escapes.

When he crash lands on Earth, he is discovered and promptly adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, a kind if rather impulsive couple who live in rural Smallville, Kansas. Kal-El is then christened Clark Kent, “Clark” being Martha’s maiden name and thus Superman actually has two last names, if you think about it. More important than that, Clark Kent a.k.a Kal-El is actually an illegal immigrant (if not a refugee), and there has never been mention of his specific legal status as an American citizen in the comics. No Social Security, no passport, no driver’s license, nothing at all to prove that he is a legal resident. On the contrary, he is literally and legally an alien. So the question is this: is Superman in fact the greatest case for illegal immigrants in the United States?

Throughout his long, glorious and more than a little strange history, Superman has stood for the American ideals of justice, truth, freedom and speedos. Despite the fact that he doesn’t really owe anything to the people of the US, he still attempts to protect them from evil and odd supervillains and unlucky, hilariously outmatched regular criminals. He is a metaphor for the inherent goodness in all people, and the steadfastness of the hair gel industry. In the context of the current election, where immigration policy has become one of the more magnified aspects of our diplomatic and cautious candidates’ views. The following arguments further reinforce Superman as the rebuttal against some rather unsavory views.

Superman does all his world saving for free.

First off, economically, Superman is kind of a douchebag I will admit. Yes, he tends to destroy large chunks of his surroundings during battle, but the expense of rebuilding is still less than the expense of total and utter destruction. Superman isn’t a mercenary, or a fortune hunter of any kind. For some reason, he works as a reporter during the working day. Yet, he saves the world time and time again for absolutely nothing in return. The input/output ratio is staggering, as his efforts would surely be saving the world more than his actions could possibly cost, as a matter of simple logic. An annihilated world wouldn’t be able to complain at all about the chaos and infrastructure rebuilding.

Superman obeys the law to the letter.

Good ol’ Clark Kent is a law-abiding citizen when he’s in his super tights, and this is despite the fact that he is invulnerable and nauseatingly powerful. If you think about it, Superman really has no need to abide by what he might perceive as arbitrary laws in a world that’s laughably fragile in comparison to himself. He could just as easily destroy Lex Luthor, kill every single criminal on the street, and still walk away from it with no real consequences. How would the police or any government in the world be able to stop him? Yet, he agrees to follow the rules in a strict, straight line and he does not sway in his convictions. He holds himself responsible for anything wrong he does, and he does not shy from justice if it opposes him.

Superman makes the world around him better.

This last one is both within the fictional boundaries of my argument, and in the context of reality. Obviously, Superman makes the world around him better in the comic books. He saves lives, he inspires people, and he’s a role model for everyone. What I really want to emphasize is that Superman makes the real world better.

I grew up in Dhaka, Bangladesh and you might recognize that as not America. The two countries are 8,000 miles apart but I know Superman because he’s iconic. He’s more American than childhood obesity and racist fraternities, and there are quite a few fans of Superman where I come from. I associate him with superpowers, idealism and capes, but I most closely associate him with America. One of the greatest American exports in history, and he’s an illegal alien with an ethnic sounding real name. Everyone loves Superman and if you don’t, then either you have impressively bad taste or you’re a bald billionaire who really doesn’t know how to pick his battles. Superman is one of the greatest ambassadors the world has ever known for the United States, and he is an iconic American hero.

So, the next time someone says illegal immigrants are ruining this country, or that undocumented aliens are the sources of increased crime rates, remind them of the greatest immigrant America has ever welcomed. Sing praises of his accomplishments, avoid talking about his costume, and most of all, remember that immigrants are people too, people who could be an unprecedented benefit to the a place that didn’t know it needed them.