Coming to Iowa

Immigration into the U.S. is an issue that makes for strange bedfellows. Supporters of a current immigration levels include corporate interests that profit from cheap foreign labor, ethnic lobbies seeking to increase their political base and religious activists, humanitarians, and civil libertarians who focus on the human rights and other ethical concerns. Opponents include atavists who view immigrants as a threat to American culture, environmentalists who dread immigration fueled population growth, and labor advocates who fear that immigration is taking jobs from the I.S. citizens and causing the U.S. wages to drop. What most Americans fail to realize is that they too are immigrants from somewhere else, unless you're a Native American Indian. For example my dad's side of the family came to America during the Potato famine of 1845.

So what's the problem? Our ancestry for the most part is immigration from some other country. Immigration has been going on since the year 1492 when the most famous immigration happened with Columbus. The question to me that remains is, why are these immigrants leaving their home country and coming to the U.S or, for that matter, Iowa? After contracting Immigration Study Circles and the Iowa Immigration Legal Project, I found out why. They, the immigrants come to Iowa for jobs. It's as simple as that. They are trying to make a life in a country that is richer, smarter, and healthier than their own.

According to Jane Denison of Immigration Study Circles, "Most of the Immigrants that we work with do not have families here, but want to bring them here as soon as possible." Denison also states, "They promote immigrant community through their own community resources." Senator Grassley states on his web site, "We should want an immigration system that provides a legal and safe avenue for those who want to come here. We should place and emphasis on helping undeveloped countries help themselves so that poverty is reduced and economic freedom is achieved. We should want an immigration system that makes sense and doesn't repeat the mistakes made in the past." According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, Iowa's immigration admissions are up 445 percent since 1965. As of 2005 the state of Iowa had 34,849 immigrants. Polk County, in the 2000 census, recorded 22,162 foreign-born residents. But some say that is a very low number due to those who are not reported.

Attorney James Benzoni of the Iowa Immigration Legal Project states, "Our office provides service from becoming legal, deportation, refugee services, getting married, bringing their family over, and advocacy. The people of Iowa and the U.S. need to realize when an opportunity this is, not only for those seeking a better way of life, but for us as well. More times than not the meatpacking companies lose employees of second generation immigrants to higher education and better jobs. Simply put, we as Iowans do not want to do the dirty jobs. When I asked Benzoni what Iowans and the rest of the U.S. need to know about immigrants he stated, "We all are brothers and sisters sharing the same mother and father and we need to realize that we should treat each other the way we want to be treated.

Counties such as Sudan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq, and Kosovo, just to name a few, are in civil wars. Countries such as Bangladesh, Peru, Brazil and South Africa do not have a quality water supply. Without water they can not thrive and they can't produce food. Most countries do not have the vaccines to keep their children healthy. Simple vaccines to prevent illnesses are a luxury in the U.S often taken for granted. So until these countries can afford to provide these types of every day accommodations, what choice do immigrants have?

Most immigrants live in a county where women have little or no rights, there are no jobs available, sanitation is poor or nonexistent, disease is rampant, religious and political differences abound, and the threat of war, whether it be civil or against another country is constant. They want the "American Dream." They want to provide for their families. They want a roof over their head and food in their stomach. They want what every parent in the United States wants for their own children; a future, an education, and the promise of tomorrow.

Here are some wise words by Walt Whitman, "Here is not merely a nation, but a teeming nation of nations."