I am Mexican-American, both of my parents migrated from Mexico to the United States. My parents came to the U.S. for better opportunities, a better life than what they had back home. My father was 21 years-old when he decided it was time to come to the United States. He worked as many jobs as he could. Did the work no one wanted to do. My dad didn’t know English but he was determined to make a life here. He met my mother ten years later when she was visiting someone’s 15th birthday. They fell in love and got married. They had my sister, three years later they had me. My dad was the first one to get his citizenship in 2001. My mother recently got her citizenship in April 2018. I’m lucky both my parents are citizens but there are people who aren’t so lucky.
As we go more into President Trump’s term, more and more of the disaster of separation of families and deportations take place. Yes, there were many when Obama was in office as well but we aren’t taking about the past, I’m talking about what is happening right now. The use of social media easily allows citizens to see what is happening. We see the harassment, the torture, the tears, the heart-break. And a lot goes unsaid. I keep seeing families after families being torn apart, and I never imagined mine would be next.
It wasn’t my mother, or my father, it was my uncle who is married to my mother’s sister. This happened a few weeks ago, during May 2018. This is my uncle who I saw everyday when I was little, my uncle who is very hardworking and would do anything for his family. He was on his way home when he got pulled over, he was on his way to see my aunt. He never made it home. My aunt is strong but I know she’s struggling. We help her anyway we can. I never thought this could happen so close to me, but that is what happens when we live in 2018 America.
Today we live in the America that doesn’t care about immigrants. It doesn’t care about all the hard work they do. It’s used to stereotyping Mexican immigrants as criminals, rapists and drug dealers. It paints the good ones as bad. There are plenty of other immigrants from other parts of the world but no one cares because they hate the Mexicans the most.
It is known that the President doesn’t care about any immigrants. He specifically does not like Mexicans. He has no filter, he shows people who he truly is but people still ignore what he says. In one of his many rants, President Trump calls immigrants “animals.” President Trump does not see these people as human, he sees them as animals that “should be tamed.” The word “animal” reminds me of a book called Animal’s People. Animal’s People by Indra Sinha is about a boy who was affected by the Bhopal Gas Leak. The story begins with a seventeen year old boy who can no longer walk on two legs due to the gas leak in the India city of Khaufpur in 1984. Animal only remembers walking on four legs, he doesn’t remember anything else before that. We see through his story how this disaster has affected his life and the way everyone sees him. We see that his trauma has shaped him to be who he is and also the people around him.
Animal embraces his name, but that doesn’t mean immigrants will embrace the term “animal”. Animal shouldn’t have ever embraced it but he was brave enough to show that this wasn’t going to stop him from living his life. The same thing goes for immigrants. Whatever they are called or seen as will only make them stronger. It’s one thing deporting immigrants back to their mainland, but it’s different when it comes to putting children in camps. Children are being separated from their families because they are fleeing countries they want to escape. There are wars and volcano eruptions in countries that are harming it citizens. As a country that claims in helping other countries in need, we aren’t doing much help for these poor people.
America should be a safe haven. People came to this country to escape monarchy and to create something new. It’s ironic that many American citizens dislike immigrants when this country was built on immigrants. But being mistreated and hated won’t do much. Immigrants are going to keep living their life, working hard, trying to get their citizenship. Even if it does take years to become one, when they do, it will be worth it. No matter what people call them now, one day they will be called American citizens.
One day I will see my uncle again, whether it’s in Mexico or here. I promise I will see him again.
