Words matter. Very few words set me on fire than an ignorant individual saying “illegal” towards human beings. Ignorance fuels hate and denying immigrants the opportunities our families and ancestors had is a betrayal of every ideal and promise America claims to proudly keep.
Saying “illegal” is disgusting, despicable and morally wrong. Bigots are quick to say “illegal” towards individuals, but not the companies that hire them or the country that needs undocumented immigrants. Saying “illegal” tears down what this country is supposed to stand for: the American Dream, the so-called “land of liberty” that waves it’s flag proudly and celebrates diversity.
How can a country whose Statue of Liberty reads “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free” turn its back on the very individuals who come here for freedom and opportunity?
America was built on the backs of immigrants, who were wrongly blamed on all the problems and challenges America faced for over 200 years. Yet it is the immigrants who have kept this country moving forward. The DREAMers don’t take the freedoms America provides for granted the way native-born Americans do.
Bigots will vote for a fascist like Donald Trump, because they believe in the fear mongering the xenophobia and all the lies he spews a mile a minute, will dismiss my words as “empty rhetoric” and some will call me “ignorant” or “un-American.” They’ll push until they’re red, white and blue in the face that undocumented immigrants are “illegal” and are determined to see them deported.
Republicans, and some Democrats, everyday blame all the ills and troubles of this country on undocumented immigrants. They refuse to pass the DREAM Act (though it had a majority of votes), the House of Representatives refuse to put forward the bill the Senate passed in 2013 that will offer a path to citizenship, they are quick to say “illegal” and “alien” (another word I hate when referring to human beings), and call the children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants “anchor babies.”
To those people that constantly blame all the problems in America on undocumented immigrants, on the DREAMers, and refuges, you’re morally, humanely and legally wrong.
Pulitzer-Prize winning writer, Jose Antonio Vargas, an undocumented immigrant from the Philippines, writes in Time Magazine “Being in the U.S. without proper documents is a civil offense, not a criminal one.”
http://ideas.time.com/2012/09/21/immigration-debate-the-problem-with-the-word-illegal/
Vargas continues, “Think of it this way: In what other contexts do we call someone illegal? If someone is driving a car at 14, we say “underage driver,” not “illegal driver.” If someone is driving under the influence, we call them a “drunk driver,” not an “illegal driver.” Put another way: How would you feel if you – or your family members or friends – were referred to as illegal?”
Chances are, you and your loves ones wouldn’t like it nor appreciate it. Calling a human being “illegal” is telling that individual that their presence, their existence is criminal and unlawful. See how ridiculous and inhumane that is? Again, you’re both morally and legally wrong if you say “illegal immigrant.”
Do you know where the term “illegal immigrant” originates? In 1939, it was used as a slur by the British toward Jews who were fleeing Hitler and the Nazis. So if you use the term “illegal immigrant” you’re both demonizing human beings today and people who were fleeing the Nazis.
Undocumented immigrants contribute to society in so many ways. They contribute to the economy, pay billions in taxes, while also paying into programs such as Social Security and Medicaid, and won’t receive any benefits because of their status, they serve in the military. Did you know the first combat veteran to die in the Iraq war was an undocumented immigrant? There are 38,000 undocumented immigrants in uniform sacrificing and fighting for our country.
While the Supreme Court has taken a step forward in immigration policies, refusing to use the terms “illegal” and “alien” in their decisions, with Justice Kennedy stating that it isn’t a crime for an undocumented immigrant “to remain present in the United States.” With the huge Supreme Court case on whether or not President Obama’s executive actions, DACA and DAPA, are Constitutional, one should look closer at the 200+ year document and see that undocumented immigrants are citizens.
Read that first line part again: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” So every individual born in America, and who comes to America who’s “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” are citizens. It’s there, with no paraphrasing and using the Constitution’s words verbatim, that proves undocumented immigrants are American citizens.
The section continues with “No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” So if native and foreign born Americans are all citizens, then laws such as SB 1070 in Arizona should have never been put in place. Texas and other states challenging President Obama’s executive actions of DACA and DAPA have no merit since states cannot make any type of foreign policy, which includes immigration.
The last part is “The Equal Protection Cause” says “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” So the laws that native-born Americans follow and are protected by, undocumented immigrants are too. No person can be denied of “equal protection of the laws.” The Equal Protection Cause has been used to decide Supreme Court cases such as Brown v Board Education, Reed v Reed, and more recently, Loving v Virginia.
It’s time for the Supreme Court to recognize the Equal Protection Clause and Section 1 of the 14th Amendment protects undocumented immigrants and proves they are citizens of the United States. It’s time people become educated on why saying “illegal” is both morally and legally wrong.
Erika Andiola, Co-Director of Dream Action Coalition and activist, saw her mother and brother in the process of being deported. Fortunately, the process was halted, but that hasn’t stopped Andiola from fighting for the rights of undocumented immigrants. “After the country helped stop my mother’s deportation, I came to realize that our community and the American people have the power, not politicians inside the beltway.”
The promise of DREAMers is to fight for America to live up to it’s promises and ideals. The promise of America is that a person can come to a new land and have the opportunity to achieve the best life possible with hard work and compassion, without being labeled as “illegal.” It’s a sacred promise America has to keep.
–Joweeezy
The World From Me 