I know many of you think that the recent changes in immigration policies don’t affect you. That mindset was made clear to me as I stood in front of you all in an assembly on March 16, where I presented about Knowing Your Rights. You may believe that I can’t see the snickers in the audience, the eye rolls, blank faces and the whispering to your friends– but I can.
For those of you who don’t know, I am a first-generation immigrant. I came here from Mexico City with my family under the magnetic pull of the American Dream. My brother attends the U.S. Naval Academy, my dad loves to study U.S. History and my mom recently got her American citizenship, a fact that she proudly shares with anybody who asks her.
When you say that ICE raids don’t impact you, when you say that everybody is over exaggerating, when you secretly think that immigrants are aliens, you are putting down 14.3% of the United States population, according to the American Immigration Council,
According to Immigration Impact, nearly half of U.S. companies were founded by immigrants, including Apple, built by the son of a Syrian immigrant, Doordash, co-founded by a Chinese Immigrant and Google, co-founded by a Russian immigrant. Think of the parts of your country that would not be whole without the back-breaking labor of these so-called “aliens”.
When you say this fight doesn’t affect you, you say that people like me should not be in this country. When you say this fight doesn’t affect you, you are telling my mom that her dehumanization is not worth your energy. When you turn a blind eye to history, you still make a choice.
Do better, please, and think about what this fight means for all of America. You may not want us here, but don’t be ignorant about how immigrants contribute to the U.S. Stay informed in your community— it’s an essential step toward understanding the impact of immigration. Be conscious of your biases, because they have power– power to propel greatness or inflict swaths of harm. Next time you see an immigrant, see them for who they are: a human and not an alien.
