Since this seems to be the topic of conversation on everyone's minds, I thought I'd put my two cents in, especially since it was thrown in my face this afternoon.
I was waiting for class to start earlier and I was sitting with a classmate discussing current events in class. She commented about my wedding rings and asked me to tell her the story about how Louis proposed, of course the conversation was light and fun. Then, the young man that was sitting just on the other side of a column got up and walked into the stairwell. My classmate stared at him and smiled and laughed. I thought she knew him.
"This guy...," she began. "I was on the phone with my sister and, I don't know about you but, I'm very liberal. We were talking about the new 1070 bill that got signed on Friday and he was just laughing and shaking his head...Are you for it or against it?"
I reluctantly said I'm for it, because I couldn't lie and I wanted to try my hand at logical argument that my husband is so fantastically good at, but I'm not very practiced. She started to state her point about how she used to think that everyone in this country was getting along and how there really wasn't that much racism, until she started taking a class and saw how "horrible our country really is."
I began to defend my position. My family came over to the states legally, and my family became naturalized citizens.
She returned with how classmates were in tears on Friday because their family got scared and members returned to Mexico. "How horrible it is to see families torn apart."
I shot back, "If they were here, legally, in the first place they wouldn't have a problem. It's just reiterating legislation that the federal government put in place at the beginning of the 20th century.
I began to talk about my husband's situation. I believe he's a great example of capitalism and the American Dream. He grew up in ghetto Tucson, avoided gang activity, worked hard to get his college degree. Now he owns a house, a truck, and makes a comfortable living all before the age of 28.
As we were walking to class and I finished my story, she says, "Well...he's an exception. The American Dream is bullshit."
If someone said that to you, point blank, what would you do? I was furious. How could she sit there and just say that my husband was one in a billion? Give me proof the American Dream is bullshit!
I'm not asking for a handout. I'm proud that I come from Mexican heritage. But I'm an American and I refuse to be a victim, as does my husband.
When I came home to continue my discussion with him, he told me he didn't see himself as the American Dream as much as he viewed his grandfather. Louis's grandfather came to the states, provided for a family of 5 children and he did without a handout. His grandfather didn't ask anyone to take care of him. He came here for a better life and did it the legal way. Worked hard, retired and now he's "marinating with my nana," as Louis likes to put it, . He's the sweetest man just taking it easy and waves at people from a big la-z-boy chair from his front porch at the base of 'A' Mountain.
I don't want a hand out. I want to work my ass off and be able to tell my children and grandchildren that we worked for everything we had and made a life for ourselves. I don't want to be a victim: "O woe is me who came to this country illegally and almost lost my life for nothing..." You, my friend, have human rights. But you do not have the legal rights as an American citizen, except now it seems backwards. I recall a conversation with some family friends about a year ago, who are also Americans of Mexican decent.
He was camped out one night with some friends on a hunting trip. They were sitting around the fire and some illegal immigrants came across them with semi-automatic weapons. If things turned ugly and our friends fired at the immigrants in self defense, our friends would have gone to jail and not the illegal immigrant. Now where's the justice in that?
I'm not against immigration. I'm against illegal immigration. And to see how people are up in arms because the state of Arizona is taking a stand against illegal activity is kind of hypocritical.
I commend people for wanting to immigrate to this country in search of a better life. And I agree that something needs to be done between both the United States government and Mexican government so that the process doesn't take almost 10 years. But to come over illegally, one's already a federal criminal. I know they're probably all fantastic people, besides the drug cartel. And please keep in mind, it's not just Mexican illegal immigrants. It's Chinese illegal immigrants, Indian illegal immigrants, Canadian illegal immigrants and a number of other countries can be represented.
I just ask for people to understand that others may not think as he/she does and to think logically and see the other side of the coin. I understand that people are upset that families are being torn apart, but that's the consequences for doing something that's not right. It's like the fed catching a drug dealer. They have to do their time, I agree it's horrible and shouldn't have happened in the first place, but isn't that the fault of the individuals who are in this country illegally and not the people enforcing the law?
At this time, I apologize for my rambling. After my classmate made that comment to me without letting me say something in return, I just felt so sad. I wanted to ask her, "Why are you in college, then?"
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