Immigration. A word, a lifestyle, rather, that built the very country we live in to be what it is today. A word, that sparks anger in some, defensiveness in others and is the root of many ardent debates across our nation.
When I say the word "immigration" I find that the reactions of the people around me tend to be dramatically different. I was curious to discover the first feeling, thought, phrase or word that came to mind regarding the matter of immigration.
I asked immigrants, (both documented and undocumented), citizens, children, seniors, teens and people I didn't even know before I wrote this, to tell me the very first thing that popped in their head when they heard the word.
This is what I gathered.
" People, like me, who hope to escape the horrors of home."
" What made America...America."
"Uhm...Mexicans?"
" Trump."
"The Wall."
" Lazy f*uckers who sneak into our country and steal our jobs."
" The people I pay taxes to support."
" A better future for my children."
" Being an immigrant is hard. We did everything the way we were supposed to, but people still hate us. Coming to America was supposed to change our lives for the better, and we're still holding onto that dream.
We thought America was a country of freedom and acceptance, but since we've been here very few people accept us and many harass us."
" Do you want the statistics or the stories? Because the two are night and day. And all we seem to care about lately are the statistics."
"Refugees."
" People who can give us new ideas and teach us to be better."
" Immigrants are human-beings. Illegal or not. They are human beings with feelings and stories and qualities to make the world around them better or worse. Just like you and me."
" People who don't want to live in their place anymore because maybe it's bad so they come to our home to be better and happy."
" Are those the people with other colors of skin?"
" It's actually really hard to become a citizen of another country. Unfortunately, the reason you want to become a citizen isn't the deciding factor. I'm not sure if it's even on the list."
"Trump's wife is an immigrant, right?"
" I'm not saying all immigrants are bad. Some are legal. Some aren't. But there needs to be a hefty process and a stronger protocol on who can just walk onto our soil. That we fight to protect? A lot of these people are bringing crime and drugs into our home and I'm just not okay fighting for a country that has an open door policy for other countries problems to migrate to."
"The people who teach us different languages!"
-I actually had someone read me part of an article they found online which I posted below.
" Immigrants are the best! They are so happy to be here, it's great! They love America just because it's America. Like, how cool is that?"
Have any of you ever seen Harry Potter? You know that spell, Stupify, that stops the opponent in their tracks, the one that stuns people into stillness? That's what I felt like I was hit with when some of these answers were said out loud. A few made me laugh, especially the answers I got from children. I was enlightened by other's enthusiasm and knowledge and discouraged by the lack of accurate information others form their opinions around.
As for me, when I consider what immigration is, and what I think it's supposed to be, I think of Elie Wiesel, who was, among many other things, a Holocaust survivor. I think of his words-
"Human beings can be beautiful or more beautiful, they can be fat or skinny, they can be right or wrong, but illegal? How can a human being be illegal?"
