In this presidential election, the topic of immigration reform has become one of the most talked about because of a certain candidate's controversial approach. In a country that was built by immigrants and contains more than fifteen ethnicities, it will always shock me the bad looks and reputation immigrants seem to have. Apparently, the only type of immigrants in the United States are Latino, even though there are immigrants from all over the world in the land of the "free." So with that in mind, here is an inspiring story that hopefully sheds some light on how undocumented immigrants are people too.
Last week, valedictorian Larissa Martinez from McKinney Boyd High School decided to share the struggles she had faced all her life. With fear in her eyes and nervousness in her voice, she announced "after all of these years, I have finally mustered up the courage to stand here before you and share a struggle I've had to deal with each and every day. I am one of the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows of the United States." She later goes on to say that her mother immediately applied for citizenship after arriving on a tourist visa, but the application is still processing. She herself has been waiting 7 years for her application. So, no immigrants do not like living with fear that any day they can be ripped apart from their families. They don't like not being able to hug or kiss their loved ones that they left behind. For all those who think that undocumented immigrants like their citizenship status: think again.
Fox 4 News spoke with Miss Martinez about the response she has been getting about her valedictorian speech, “I just realized that not being documented meant I had to work harder, that as a Latino, I wasn't representing just myself and my family but the whole community, and I was ready to take that weight." The pressure is on for young Hispanic boys and girls because our success is not just for us, but for our community. For children of immigrant’s parents, they want to prove everyone wrong. They want to prove that they do not just live off welfare, but that they are hardworking and productive citizens. I may not be an immigrant, my family may not be immigrants but I am a human being. A human that sees beyond a person's citizenship status and see them as humans too.
Larissa concluded her speech by describing undocumented immigrants as, "people with dreams, aspirations, hopes and loved ones. People like me. People who have become part of American society and way of life and who yearn to make America great again. Without the construction of a wall built on hatred and prejudice”
We could all learn from this smart and hardworking young girl. Let us not be a country divided; we are stronger when we stand together. Undocumented immigrants are not the enemy, they want the country to thrive and move forward. Who says we can't together?
