I was going through some old papers the other day and found this excerpt from a book that was in the Charlotte Observer (the excerpt I mean)...now I remember why I'd kept it! It's written by Sergio Troncoso, author of "The Last Tortilla and Other Stories." Here goes:
"The issue of helping poor Latin American immigrants in the United States is not a 'minority issue'. It's an American issue, in the best sense of that term...Unlike the episodic waves of Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants, Latin American immigrants to the United States will be a constant and significant stream into this country. Forever. We share a 2,000-mile border with Mexico, and 500 million (probably higher, since this was published in 2001) Latin Americans live south of that border. You can run away from these realities, or you can rage against them drunk with hate, or you can try to make it work, for all of us. What do you think is the best choice?"
Those of you who know me know that I'm very pro-immigrant, and I have a special place in my heart for Latin American immigrants. This country is starting to scare me with our politicians' talk of building a wall the entire length of the US-Mexico border, taking citizenship away from US-born children of undocumented immigrants, and not giving drivers' licenses to folks who don't have a social security number. This sounds less and less like Emma Lazarus (Give me your tired, your poor....) and more like oh, East Berlin. Fine if they want to send all the "illegal aliens" (hate that phrase) back to their countries of origin. (This, by the way, would include numerous Canadians, Germans, Italians, Swedes, etc.) Should you choose to do that, however, you can count on agriculture, construction, and numerous other high-risk low-paying economic sectors to collapse. Which would mean no apples, oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, or any other fruit/veggies. No one to see that the chickens are processed so we can eat meat. No one to make sure the cows get milked. And no new homes for us white middle and upper classes.
This may sound a little like a soapbox and it probably is. I just have a real big issue with people who talk about immigrants like they are dirt while enjoying the fruits of those very same immigrants. What about in Leviticus, where God says "Do not mistreat the alien living among you. Remember that you were once aliens in Egypt." I hope I am not the only person in this country who feels that way. Thoughts? Disagreements?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
You've posted on this issue before, and again I must shout my agreements, 110%. I watched a news piece about 2 months ago that detailed a vigilante "posse" of white, selfish, and yes racist suburbanites in northern Virginia. These 10 or so bigots decided that INS wasnt doing enough to purify their streets. So they took their home camcorders and "staked out" the local Seven-Eleven early each Saturday morning, where the hispanic immigrants (yes, some of whom were there illegally) lined up to catch rides out to their construction / farming jobs. The posse then turned their videos over to local police and demanded that photos be (somehow) matched with those legal and illegal.
The whole time during this news clip, my heart was pounding and my blood pressure rising. These are my compatriots, and they have such little compassion for their fellow man. Or, I should say, their fellow non-white man. It would not surprise me one bit if their fathers could be found, on Saturday's long gone, marching in the streets wearing bedsheets and pointed white hats. Or if their great-great grandfathers, in the name of "good society", sent their great-grandfathers off to fight off the "yankee menace".
Shameful and disgraceful. And you're right, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
I know where that 7-11 is! It's only about 20 minutes from my apartment! I agree with both of you about how callous and hateful people can be, but don't lose hope. There are some people with good intentions out there also. I don't know if the news story Brad refered to reported this, but the people who were doing the spying were reacting to several new measures that passed locally despite anti-immigrationists, which will provide work centers where laborers can wait for work in a safe place, inside from the cold and rain/snow. My point is that there are people here that care about immigrants also--they just don't get the air time.
Also, I love that excerpt! It's so true!
You're right Miles. Wouldn't it be nice if the people who tried to help folks along without worrying about whether they're here legally or not got some coverage. I don't believe that we're all entitled to anything we darn well please, but for folks who are working hard, paying taxes, and not building bombs in their bathtubs ought to be given a little grace.
Post a Comment