A Different Perspective on Immigration in America

May 12, 2018 by Pachyderm

As a California native who grew up in the Los Angeles area, on the borders of Carson, Torrance, and Wilmington, I always found a little pride. In the 1970s, I grew up immersed in a slew of races and cultures. The first girl I kissed was Vietnamese, and my first girlfriend was Latina. My best friends were three boys—John, from the Philippines; Damon, an African-American; and Tim, a Polish descendant with a gimp foot. At that time, my friends were Samoan, Hawaiian, Cambodian, Thai, Hmong, Mexican, Chinese, Korean, and Caucasians. I was always treated warmly by their families, welcomed, and fed the most exotic foods. I was taken on family get-togethers on a few occasions, events at which they could all meet up with family they hadn't seen frequently, tell old stories, gorge on native recipes, and have a rip-roaring good time. I was enchanted.
Looking back, I don't remember ever looking at a person and taking a dislike to them for their color, their culture, or their original nationality. And I certainly never felt that they were in any way intimidated by those same attributes of mine and my family. They were just kids and their families. We lived around each other and most of the time things were fine. Sure, we'd have our fights over whether rules were broken in a game of baseball or suicide dodgeball, but nothing that ever lasted. I'm still the same way.
However, there is a discernment that occurs now due to my age, experience, and wisdom. That's because there are good and bad people of every stripe. It's a fact of life. It's not appropriate to paint a whole ethnic group based on a few bad experiences had with members of any particular ethnicity, not even the broad diaspora of whites. Whether you're a self-loathing white social justice warrior, a black power fanatic, or an Hispanic immigration activist, racism can come from anyone. That's not the point of America.
America is a country of laws, traditions, and culture. Due to its many lineages of people it boasts a unique heritage that made it what it is today. As a country of laws, it cannot be argued that entering our country for a temporary stay on a visa then overstaying that visa should not be remedied through the legal system as a means to discourage such negligent behavior. It also cannot be argued that people can enter illegally. Both these scenarios have the potential to put a burden on social services funded by tax-paying citizens; social services that are meant for citizens when they are in need. Very frequently these services are used by people who should not be in America.
I have lived abroad for almost 20 years, filling up my third passport. Every year I have to apply for a new visa and visit the Immigration Department every 90 days. If I fail to do this, I'm most certainly going to pay a fine. If I break a law, I will be put in jail and then deported from the country after my sentence is complete. I will more than likely be blacklisted from returning. If I get caught sneaking back into the country, the penalties are severe and the fines are steep. I am able to do this because I can provide a service that not many of the native population can do therefore improving the quality of their society.
This is the type of system that America already has on the books, but government has failed to enforce the laws of the land as enacted by Congress. Americans want to improve that system by enacting a merit-based point system that considers facets of new immigrants such as their ability to communicate in English, their ability to financially support themselves for five years, their police record, their education, their skills, and their work history. Low points earned on one aspect doesn't necessarily end their chance of obtaining a path to citizenship and a productive life in America.
Encourage people to do the right thing. There are too many American citizens who reject the idea of yet another amnesty. There are too many Americans who want secure borders to ensure the admittance of quality immigrants who will make this country stronger. There are too many Americans who want the wall. The right thing would be to voluntarily leave for your homeland and start the application process the right way. Set a standard for yourself and the others that follow. Nobody wants any more people dying in the desert of dehydration, exposure, exhaustion, or foul play. It's not who you are and it's not who Americans are.