Immigration Aggravation

There is no easy answer to the problem of illegal immigration. Many of the individuals who are illegal are not some kind of criminal in their own country who are here to escape justice, nor are they "out to harm" the American system. They are here for many reasons, most of which can be summed up in one phrase: they want to live a better life.

They see no way of obtaining a better life in their home-lands, so they come to a place where Jobs re abundant-especially if you are willing to work hard and for little pay. I hear people say illegal immigrants take the jobs that Americans won't do. Then again, Americans are judged differently from the beginning. If you were born in the USA, and are older than a high schooler, you will likely be "over qualified" to work the cash register or grill at your favorite fast food restaurant. Of course if you speak both English and Spanish fluently you may have a chance. This is not conjecture-it is personal experience.

When they get these jobs here in the states, they often return a significant portion of their check to their homelands. If you doubt this, go stand in line at a check cashing place. You will learn a great deal about immigrants if you bother to ask questions. Americans get angry about these funds going over elsewhere instead of at least keeping the money circulating here. Of course there are people who are angry about individuals stimulating foreign economies, but they will continue to buy products made by big "American" corporations, but actually made elsewhere. Never mind the deep sense of family responsibility that goes with each dollar.

Maybe that is why I get so confused when there are children involved. My experience of foreigners has shown me that even I, whom I thought had the deepest sense of familial obligation, have no concept of what it really means to be dedicated to my kin. Their roots run deep, maybe not on this soil, but they have taken the spirit of their people with them. They are in consistent communication with people back home, and they will give up money that could have made their lives less strenuous here. There are a great many admirable qualities we can find in our immigrants.

　

Then I read an article like today's about Daisy Cuevas. Her parents came here while her mom was pregnant, making Daisy a citizen, but the mom is still illegal. I am not comfortable with deporting parents away from their children, but then we read that there is another child involved. Apparently Daisy is more important than her sister. July has not seen her parents in 5 years, and has been living with grandparents in Peru. Now this makes me angry.

　

The Cuevas family has been here for five years and the mother has not become legal. Why? I realize life has a way of getting in the way of the things we want to do for ourselves. Citizenship might be such a thing for a working mother. As much as it irritates me, I am willing to be understanding, but to find out this mother has abandoned her child, makes me angry. Other people will not accept my evaluation of abandonment, and I am certain that the grandparents caring for July are raising her as though she is their child, maybe even to the point of spoiling her, but that in no way diminishes the fact that her parents chose to leave her behind while they made their new child an American citizen. When a parent walks away from a child, it is abandonment, no matter what the reason. (Yes, some parents walk away for the good of the child, but a child's heart and mind must still mature in order to process the experience. Intentions rarely influence emotional outcome.)

　

The INS have stated that they are not going to pursue this family. Of course not! Who wants to publicize a child innocently turning in their parent, and the trauma that goes along with separating parent and child. Of course we are again telling young July that she is insignificant. Obviously it is more important that her sister's well being is protected than July's. I can hear it now-Daisy is a US citizen, July is not.

　

Maybe our answer to the problem of illegal immigration has less to do with seeking out non-conformists, and more to do with changing our perspective. Americans tend to think of themselves along an ethno-centric scale, with the US being the center and everyone else falling a little short. That's probably a side affect of patriotism that influences more than just our culture. The problem comes when you insert Americans into a world view. Now the scale is more than un-balanced; it's completely distorted.

　

Americans can not afford to be so ethno-centric. Immigration and foreign policy prevents us from being the island we are cultured to be. We go to war in terms of "Americans and their allies" instead of "the Allied forces". We are not the individual we perceive. We are part of a greater whole, not only in the military struggles we face, but in our every day experience. To be "American" no longer has anything to do with the land you stand on; it is a state of mind.

　

So if we are to become a global entity, how do we accommodate "foreigners"? I can dictate you an easy scenario of resolution to things as they are, but no one wants to hear resolutions that might make us seem too heartless, so we must learn to assimilate more than just the individual. It is simply impractical to legalize every body standing on our soil, just as it's impractical to deport everyone who can't say the pledge of allegiance in English. Instead of getting angry, we need to re-adjust; in addition to our "Citizens" we also have "Foreign Nationals": individuals who are unable to complete citizenship, but still want to participate in the American system. Of course the care for those individuals who retain citizenship in another country, should be billed to the country in question.

　

Do you think Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Antonio Belaunde would be so vocally proud if he were billed for any governmental assistance the Cuevas family has received? By charging the country of origin, the American coffers might be replenished allowing even more people to be served by the American system. If America is going to accept the responsibility of the actual physical care of foreigners-through military or relief efforts as well as on individual levels, then we are, by necessity, supposed to regulate the flow of world-wide funds in order to facilitate those expectations. We are, after all, not a charitable organization. Citizens are expected to pay into the system in order to withdrawal form it, surely they are not entitled to less than a non-citizen. Eliminate part of the argument, then ask the foreign leaders if they are still so thrilled that their people are leaving their country for America.

　

Of course there is still the problem of split families. Both the American government as well as the Peruvian government have shown us that public embarrassment prevents the American government from following it's own guidelines. By not pursuing the Cuevas family, they have set a precedence for others. Maybe this exact situation is not likely to occur again, but certainly the public eye can be shone a a specific person making it uncomfortable for INS to deport them, and apparently they wont. The Cuevas family has been given public permission to break the law.

The have also made public the fact that one child is more important than another; that one family is privileged over others based on circumstance. The consequences of poor Daisy's statement is much greater than just immigration. Today we see how immigration impacts parenting and socio-psychological issues. There are answers that are easy to speak, but difficult to enact. Until we find law makers and enforcers who are heartless enough to leave one child behind for the sake of another, we will not be able to resolve anything.