Out of the dark: If you give a mouse a cookie…
He’ll want a glass of milk. If you give an immigrant a home, he’ll want some rights
Posted on August 30, 2007
Immigration is a blazing issue that has been burning this country into fiery factions throughout America’s history.
During the industrial revolution, European immigrants were seared with prejudice, particularly around the immigrant-enriched Ellis Island. The question of whether black should be granted citizenship or remain our slaves scorched our nation into a Civil War.
Now, many years later, local governments are take swift action to address the issue of Hispanics in Virginia.
A few days ago, a week-long boycott was initiated by various Hispanic immigrants throughout Prince William County, Virginia. According to an article in The Washington Post, the boycott was initiated in response to the Board of County Supervisors unanimously passing a resolution to “deny many public services to illegal immigrants and empower police and other officials to question immigrants about their legal status and in some cases turn them over to federal immigration authorities.”
Prince William County alone is home to around 30,000 Latino immigrants. More than 300 businesses around the county have been plastered with posters boasting “Pro-Immigrant Business” and rebuking the “Anti-Immigrant Resolution.” Is this because they are truly sympathetic to the immigrants’ cause, or do they just fear losing immigrants’ business?
There is so much hazy terminology concerning the issue of immigration. Whose role is it to define and differentiate between various visitors (uninvited or not) to this country?
In my book, the phrase ‘illegal immigrant’ refers to a foreign person that is unlawfully or illegitimately residing within the borders of another country.
In heavily populated cities around the United States, illegal immigrants can pose financial and economic burdens, such as taking advantage of free health care or forgoing taxes. Such services are reserved for citizens of the state, and should not be a free-for-all for whoever passes through the state’s gates.
Prince William County residents are concerned that immigrants, both legal and illegal, are usurping the county’s public services and are causing the crime rates to rise.
The question of what makes an American becomes more muddled as mixed ethnicities and races are tossed into the pot. A colorful medley of inhabitants is what this country has boasted for so long, and hopefully will keep boasting as new people are brought to the doors of these borders. America flings open its door to those who need to seek refuge from prejudice or persecution, or just wish to live a better life.
But we are partial to waving our flag of red, white and blue with one hand while shaking our fists at unwelcome intruders with the other. Under the surface, the bias that Hispanics are facing in Prince William County is not an anomaly in America.
Outraged citizens have been pulling the welcome mat from under immigrants’ feet in many states, especially those with a high Hispanic population like California. But the conflict in Northern Virginia brings this issue a little closer to home.
Hispanic immigrants have been the busiest the past few decades, crossing our borders in alarming numbers and settling in certain cities (how they choose which cities to live in, I don’t know), and now the time has come to take action against it. There is no room within these borders to host those who are not willing to go through the process of becoming a citizen of this country.
Immigrants seem to have a better handle on what the ‘American Dream’ is better than American citizens themselves, because we often take the freedoms and privileges we have for granted.
If such is the case, immigrants should feel obligated do everything in their power to become legitimate residents of this country. Then they can freely experience everything that this country has to offer to its citizens.
If immigrants are comfortable with marrying their two cultures simply with a hyphen, in this case Hipanic-American, it means that while they still want to treasure their true heritage, they are willing to adapt and assimilate themselves in to another country’s culture.
Those who are not willing to do this and just want to abuse the privileges they have as visitors in this country do not belong here in the first place.
Even though we are supposedly the most powerful nation in the world, we shouldn’t ignore the fact that there are many that will try to take advantage of this. This mindset is damaging to our entire infrastructure as a nation, including the realms of health care, transportation, economy, law, business and industry.
For us to truly be united, we must embrace those of other cultures and countries. That doesn’t mean we have to extend our arms and let just anyone eat out of our hands, because someone is bound to bite the hands that feeds them.
Anna Young is a sophomore SMAD and sociology major.