How can the US refuse to accept immigrants almost 250 years later?
By Jeannine Briggs
The US was founded by several immigrants who were later deemed national heroes. These founding fathers include Alexander Hamilton, James Wilson, and 37 other immigrants who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Although our country has these origins, we have become accustomed with refusing to accept immigrants in our more recent history.
With today’s cracking down on immigration, brutal approaches to dealing with undocumented immigrants fleeing danger in their home country have been implemented.
This approach includes possible raids from ICE agents and the running unethical detention centers along the border between the US and Mexico.
Many Americans do not see the issue with these plans as it has been instilled in them that immigrants are “the enemy” and “are coming for our jobs.” Instead, immigrants are not safe in their country of origin and come in hopes of a better life just like our founding fathers.
President Donald Trump’s immigration plan includes placing children and their families in cages and at one point separated from each other.
Imagine if our founding fathers were denied access to our country and placed in a cage with double or even triple the amount of people it was designed to hold. The country would not have banks or be economically supported. Our nation would simply not be the one it is today without immigrants and countless Americans seem to have forgotten that.
This ignorant stance has been reiterated by people with strong media platforms, such as Laura Ingraham, who said: “As more illegal immigrants are rushing to the border, more kids are being separated from their parents and temporarily housed at what are, essentially, summer camps.”
This insensitive comment truly missed the gravity of the issue. Detention centers are not summer camps, otherwise they would be named summer camps. If we continue to misinterpret the severity of the crisis at our border we will allow our fellow people to be mistreated at the hands of our government in silence.
When looking at a detention center from outside you will be taken by its notable exterior. One California center is located in the arid desert and surrounded by towering barbed wire fences.
Another layer of brick wall separates the outside world with the detainees. Mothers are yelling to communicate with outside protesters asking for the protection of “los niños,” or the children as they had not seen their sons and daughters in a substantial amount of time. The women were allegedly pepper sprayed if they communicated with outsiders.
A bit further down the street one can hear the singing of young kids. The songs represent the hope that these children have for a day when they will see their families again and be able to start a new life in the US.
These children are not criminals trying to enter the country and steal jobs, but hopeless refugees fleeing gang violence and lack of basic human needs. It is time to stop demonizing immigrants and decide what we, the people, want the US to be known for.
