A personal reflection on America’s immigrant roots, modern fear, and the humanity behind migration.
The inscription on the Statue of Liberty reads, “Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” It doesn’t say, “Give us your wealthy, your elite, your privileged.” This country was founded on hope, but it seems that hope has sunk to the bottom of the barrel. We’ve lost sight of our roots and forgotten our immigrant past.
How many generations does it take to forget that? We have lived a good life. So many in other countries look to us because even the poorest man in this country is rich in another. Because of greed, we have lost our focus. We have lost our heart.
It’s true, there are those who wish to harm us. Ones that would like to see that beacon of light snuffed out. We’ve borne witness to atrocities on our own soil, like Pearl Harbor and 9/11. We’ve also been responsible for grave wrongs, like the Japanese internment camps, the My Lai massacre, and the Trail of Tears. These are just a few. One does not override the other.
Dangers lurk in every corner, but we should strive to be the beacon of hope that illuminates the darkest corners of the world. We are, after all, a nation of immigrants. These immigrant families come to us in droves, buoyed by the same hope that founded our nation. They contribute to and uplift the communities they join, so why do we insist on tearing apart the very thing that binds us together?
It shouldn’t take twenty years to be together. Humans are like water. We tend to take the path of least resistance. Would you rather pay a government that says we will see, or a person that says, “I guarantee”? This is just an opinion.
Learn more: American Immigration Council