The Curse of Being an Immigrant in Trump’s USA

Farzan
Farzan
Sep 9, 2018 · 4 min read

For a while I have been looking for and debating with myself about a good title for this new article. I had to confess, I found it a hard task. Because the subject I wish to talk about, it has already been widely analyzed and dissected by myriads of other writers and journalists. But how could one ignore the struggle and the mistreatment that immigrants endure in today’s chaotic political atmosphere in America, the disaster brought upon us by Donald J. Trump? The only clear, straightforward and single word that I could find as a title was the word itself: “Immigration”. On second thought one may reject this direct approach as a bit boring and naive, as not doing justice to this article. As a result, I chose the above title.

According to History Channel “The United States experienced major waves of immigration during the colonial era, the first part of the 19th century and from the 1880s to 1920. Many immigrants came to America seeking a better life and greater economic opportunity, while some, such as the Pilgrims in the early 1600s, arrived in search of religious freedom. From the 17th to 19th centuries, hundreds of thousands of African slaves were brought to America against their will. The first significant federal legislation restricting immigration was the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. Individual states regulated immigration prior to the 1892 opening of Ellis Island, the country’s first federal immigration station. New laws in 1965 ended the quota system that favored European immigrants, and today, most of the country’s immigrants hail from Asia and Latin America.”

The reason that I want to talk about immigrants in the Trump era is because everything that goes wrong in this country today is blamed and shifted towards immigrants and immigration. Any right-wing specialist, contributor, politician and Trump supporter including Trump himself blame per se, immigrants for all the wrongdoings of American society. Especially, immigrants who are not white and Christians are singlehandedly be depicted as murderers, rapists, criminals, smugglers, etc. who come to this country to create havoc, to steal Americans’ jobs, to ruin Americans’ lives. The constantly negative picture that is being drawn of an immigrant is of a person who is a freeloader, interested only in grabbing government aids, unable to speak proper English, ready to take over American jobs. Unfortunately, social media have an important role in this divisive point of view and have definitively contributed to these negative images. With the invaluable help of a certain foreign country (also known as Russia) and its trolls, where millions of fake accounts under the careful and manipulative guidance of the Russian secret services swarmed US social media accounts to tarnish the hardworking immigrants’ reputation, to divide this country, to create hatred and enmity between Americans. With the ultimate goal of taking control Washington, the US Government and above all, the White House.

In addition to this sorry, dangerous and regrettable situation, Americans seem to have very easily and conveniently forgotten that they themselves are in their greatest majority first, second or third generation of immigrants. Coming from people who emigrated to the US just like today’s immigrants, in search of a safer, better future. Coming from people who had not been pictured as criminals, just because they were “different”. Not a single day is gone, without hearing the news blaming immigrants for the downfall of our democracy, for the loss of decency, humanity and integrity in this country. Immigrants are even blamed for mass shootings that happen every day in so many places in this country, in instances where immigrants have no connection or relation whatsoever. The current administration is going far to try to “cleanse” the country from immigrants either legal or illegal, just because the President of United States believes and encourages his supporters to believe that all fundamental problems of this country derive from immigrants. The mentality of people like Trump and his aides aiming at reducing the number of legal immigrants is used as an excuse to justify the fundamental problems that have been existed way before any surge of immigration in this country.

Let’s assume for a minute that the injustice and inequality laws introduced by the current government worked. That following their illogical policies and measures, all legal and illegal immigrants are deported to wherever they came from. Would this instantly sort our problems? What would be the result/impact of this? It would be simply catastrophic. In all the key areas of educational, financial, social and even political fabric of this country. Because this country which has for centuries been based on the diversity of its society, on a policy of welcoming and integrating immigrants, on gaining strength, resources and rejuvenation from this constant influx of people who chose to come here and to contribute to our country, will fall apart. Because today’s fundamental problems will simply not disappear just like that. On the contrary, they will be exaggerated and exasperated. Because the very elimination of immigrants upon whom US society has been built and based since its early creation, will gravely damage our country. Because this great nation of ours, has, until now, been evolving and getting strength from immigration, instead of being hostile and blaming all its problems on it. This is something that can never be overlooked. This is what makes the USA such a great and unique place to live in!

Farzan

Written by

Farzan

Michigan, Spontaneous Photographer with iPhone X