I have crossed and crossed the border since I was a child. I always looked forward to visiting Mexico when I was younger because of the wide array of incredible foods and kind people. As beautiful as Mexico is, the U.S. called to my family. This was not only for its incredible beauty but for the promise that the American Dream represented.

Most immigrants everywhere feel this way but with our current political climate, immigration has become a taboo. While immigrants wait to join our country, I imagine that Mexican immigrants everywhere were heavy-hearted when we found that Christhian Bahena Rivera was named the prime suspect of Mollie Tibbetts's murder.

It's not because we defend Christhian. In fact, I cringe at the thought of any man who cannot understand and accept rejection. It's because we knew the political ramifications of his actions.

When Mollie Tibbetts first went missing, my heart broke. I wanted to think positively and prayed that she would be found safely. I pretended that she would be found with a different haircut, half-way around the world trying to take on a new identity just for the thrill of it.

I knew, deep down, that was not the case.

I didn't want to imagine the alternative and, I imagine, her family did not either. The reality, of course, was obviously far worse. It was tragic to hear that she was gone. It was devastating, though, to find out that an illegal immigrant had committed the murder. This had played right into what President Trump had warned of and would, of course, be used for political bias. It was heartbreaking to think that the actions of one man would carry the weight of an entire people. Her murder would be used as a weapon to continue to separate families and dismantle the foundation of our diverse country.

I don't think Christhian understood the weight of what he had done or how his actions would trickle down and create a frightening impression of immigrants for some American people. My worst fear is that we will regress to a place where we find ourselves afraid of one another. Her father spoke at her funeral and shared his love for the Hispanic community in an attempt to dissuade the negativity that attempted to lay blame on a lack of security at our borders.

Let me be clear in sharing that Christhian does not represent us. His actions are his actions and they are not representative of Mexicans as a people. His actions do not exemplify why we should be wary of immigration. Our country was built by immigrants and will continue to grow with immigrants.

I wish that Christhian had taken a step back and thought of the many immigrants struggling to make it into this country. I wish he had thought of the people who risk their lives daily trying to make it across the border. I wish he had respected Mollie. Lord knows, we, as women, have fought for respect and equality for far too long. I wish he had looked at Mollie and recognized her for the beautiful young woman she was and what she could have contributed to us, as a person. I wish he had thought that maybe one day she could be one of the people advocating for immigrant rights.

My heart is with the Tibbetts family. We are incredibly sorry to hear about your loss. We mourn with you. The loss of your child is heavy on our hearts.