I've spent a lot of time lately reading about Arizona's new immigration law, and I find myself feeling confused. What exactly is going on down there? I know Mexico is a country in turmoil, and I understand the fear and concern about illegal immigrants, but it seems Arizona has gotten wacky.
There are some legitimate fears here. Drug trafficking from Mexico is a problem and with the drugs comes crime. I understand these things but I think the answer is a more secure border, not Arizona's turn towards xenophobia.
I'm not just talking about the immigration law. Today, Arizona's legislature passed a bill banning ethnic studies programs. The justification? Ethnic studies courses promote "ethnic chauvinism." I'm not kidding, that's actually what they said. It seems that the only people being culturally chauvinistic right now are the ones with white skin. Apparently, if you're a minority in Arizona, it's not okay for you to be proud of your heritage, instead Arizona will force feed you their version of history.
It gets worse. A Californian Republican, Duncan Hunter, is advocating deporting the children of illegal immigrants! Those children are, of course, American citizens since they were born here. That's right, Representative Hunter wants to deport Americans. I'm not sure where he would advocate sending them, but have we really sunk that low? Duncan, he doesn't deserve to be called a Representative - and those who voted for him should hang their heads in shame - points out that "It takes more than walking across the border to be an American citizen." That's true Duncan, you have to be born here, like the people you want to deport.
Newsflash to white people - especially those in Arizona. We're immigrants. You want to start deporting people? Well then all us white folks can head back to Europe. This is embarrassing. The people of Arizona have a legitimate grievance. Violence from the drug wars in Mexico affects them and the government should do a better job of protecting our borders and our citizens. Their failure to do so is not an excuse for fear and xenophobia.
Immigration is what makes America great. People from all over the world want to come here. They want to come so badly that they will sneak in if they have to. Because of the freedoms we hold so dear we have become a magnet for the world's best and brightest people. White, black, brown, yellow, green, purple, red and even orange people want to be in America. We should be proud of that and we should encourage it because all of us make our society and our country better. Forcing people to prove that they belong is not what America is about. Forcing people to assimilate by denying them the opportunity to learn about their past is not what America is about. Dreyfus Affair anyone?
We live in the greatest country in the world, and what makes it great are the people. America is the best country in the world because Americans are the best people in the world, and Americans come in all shapes, sizes and COLORS. If you care about America you have to care about Americans and you must understand that we're all in this together. In a country full of Americans there is no "other" to fear.
Let's make America better today by preaching tolerance instead of fear. Yes, our borders need protecting, but we cannot live in fear of people seeking the same dream we are. We must let them chase it too and hope that they, like all of us, will do their part to make America better. If you delved a little bit into ethnic studies, you'd find that a lot of them already have.
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