Something different for me ... for the first time ever on my blog, I turn my weekly rant over to a guest speaker , allowing her to take over my soapbox. And although I am copying this in its entirety, please check this link to leave your comments for the author, Holly Antony ...
Immigration's
Epic Fail
When I was a child I used to listen to
the Neil Diamond song “America” all the time. It always made me swell
with pride that I lived in the country where everyone wanted to be. It made me
think about how lucky I was to be born here where I was free and how
others weren't so lucky. It also made me imagine my ancestors
and how they felt as they stepped foot on this free land for the very first
time. As they stood in the mighty shadow of Ellis Island,
awaiting their chance, wondering what this new life would hold for them.
How that must have felt to be…as Herman Melville put it…”a thousand noble
currents all pouring into one”. To arrive on its shores with nothing but
the clothes on their back and a hope for a new life…a life that I was blessed
to have as my birthright because of the braveness of those people who came
before me. Over the course of my life I have been witness to many amazing
people who were as brave, maybe more so, than my own ancestors. People
from all over the world coming here for a better life to contribute positively
to our society. These people stood out to me against the canvas of my
small town because they were different.
A few years ago someone I had come to
know wrote down a short thank you note to his friends and on it the poignant
words of his struggle to get to where he was. “26 years ago, under the
cover of darkness, I covertly stepped onto a 30 foot long boat with a small diesel engine along with
38 other Vietnamese boat people. We were escaping from the Vietnamese
Communist regime. We spent 12 hours wandering in the South Sea of China
under storm. We fought with the angry sea, the same sea that would bury
my younger brothers a few years later. We then floated under the hot and sultry
sun for 3 days. We were thirsty and hungry, a glimmer of hope to survive
and live in a free country was the only thing we hung onto while facing
death…” His boat was one of the few that actually made it to the
shore. When I read his story written out like that it affected me to the
point of tears imagining what he must have gone through. His story, both
heartbreaking and yet triumphant…a story of survival and sheer will to have a
better life at all costs and the risk of the greatest sacrifice of all…your own
life. It is what is at the heart of his story that is what I think of
when I think about immigration.
My first memories of immigration were
of a family in my neighborhood as a young child. For years the quiet of my
neighborhood was always disturbed by the government housing that popped up on
our doorstep. Crime and multiple generation welfare recipients mooching
off the system, taking everything and giving back nothing. But these were
not immigrants. They were US citizens born and raised. At the least end
were the lazy and at the most were the thieves and criminals. One day the
unit next to our house opened up and we saw a family moving in with 2 small
children. They seemed to have nothing and were quite different from the
others there. They were from Vietnam and had escaped the atrocities of their
own country and had come here seeking freedom and a better life. My father, being a Vietnam
Vet was sympathetic to his story of survival and our family took them under our
wing. My mother would spend her days teaching the wife how to speak
English and in return she would cook us amazing meals from her homeland. Not
because we asked her to but because it was not of their character to take
things and be less than grateful and to show that gratitude in any way they
could. I remember her making a beautiful hand sewn pillow for my mom to
thank her for her kindness. They had very little yet they gave all they
had to offer in gratitude for what they received. They were the hardest
working people I have ever seen wanting nothing but a life here free of the
persecution of a place they once called home. Getting factory jobs, my
father saw them being taken advantage of by a corrupt and unethical businessman
who got away with paying them a pittance for their work. He felt helpless
to see them treated like that at the hands of wealthy unconscionable scum but
for them it was work and it was “fair” in their eyes. Luckily, within a
few short months they were blessed to get jobs in another state and moved there
into a house of their own where they could finally live their humble American
dream. Upon their entry into our country they had been placed in the government
housing near us only as a transition into their new life as contributing
citizens of our country. The process for them was smooth and nurturing
which was a welcome blessing to people who had been so wrongfully treated in
their own country. That was the first time I saw our welfare system in a
new light. To be a hand up and not a hand out…not like the litany of
lifers as I liked to call them who had no ambition or desire to contribute to
our society. And sadly I believe that is how most people view
immigrants. That they are all here to mooch off the system and steal our
jobs (which by the way can’t happen simultaneously…). I recognize that
for some all they know of immigration is what the media has shown them…lumping
everyone into the same category. I am sure you have seen the recent
events on the news where immigrants were referred to as nothing but drug
mules. That is the kind of false hype and plain ignorance that stirs the
pot and builds a misrepresentation of an entire group of people. But for
me, immigration has a different face. Because the immigrants I have come
to know in my life are people worthy of being called Americans and more
importantly people who have taught me a great deal about what it means to
sacrifice one life with the uncertainty of obtaining another.
But now I have come face to face with
the devastation that our broken immigration system is causing in the lives of
so many people and I can no longer remain silent watching this travesty from
the side lines. It is time America gets a glimpse into what’s ACTUALLY
going on behind the curtain of our immigration system. It is time that we
stand together to make this right before one more family’s lives are destroyed
at the hands of this bureaucratic boondoggle. This time, the fight has
been brought to my doorstep and I have chosen to stand up as an American and
not back down from this battle. I will now shine the light into the dark
seedy underworld of our immigration system so that many may seek to stand with
me…for my friends, for our country. This is their story as I have come to
bear witness.
She was 5 years old playing in the
driveway of the home next to the empty plot of land my husband and I had just
purchased. We had just laid a foundation for our new home and came to see
the progress. We stepped from our car and were greeted by happy smiling
neighbors gathered in her yard having a barbecue. They introduced
themselves and we shook hands and so was the beginning of a wonderful 13 years
with the security of having decent and kind neighbors and friends.
Rachael was a single mom seeking a new life for her and her young daughter far
from the pain of a difficult divorce back in England. Her parents were
already here and had their green cards. They had made their lives here
and welcomed and gladly sponsored their daughter and granddaughter on their new
path. Upstanding citizens and successful business owners her parents who
dedicated a great deal of their time to volunteering in the community are now
the driving force behind a charity that feeds the hungry children of our county
called First Friday kids Support Group. Just like her parents Rachael was
a solid salt-of-the-earth person who always gave of herself but never once took
anything from the system. She always paid her own way and worked hard to
give her daughter the best life she could. We got to watch Lauren grow up
into a beautiful talented independent young adult thriving in this new life she
was given. She constantly excelled at everything she did including
starting her first website at the young age of 14. She is probably the
smartest and most ambitious young lady I have ever had the pleasure to
know. Then, this past spring, all these years later, graduating with
honors and in the top 10% of her class holding a 4.38 GPA. But her life
has always been in the dark shadow of her immigration status. Simple
things like being unable to get her driver’s license when she turned 16 like
all her friends became impossible. This broken process robbed her of what
should have been a special milestone in every child’s life. Both
her and her mom became all but prisoners in their own home waiting for the
system to approve their green card status. They were unable to travel
anywhere or even take a simple vacation. But Lauren pushed through all of
that with a smile knowing that soon she would be over the hump and all would be
made right. She focused on the bigger picture…her graduation and dreams
of college. Excelling far beyond her counterparts Lauren should have been
a shoe in for any college but she chose FSU even turning down a scholarship to
another school. It was the school she knew she wanted to go to and
then being awarded a Bright Futures Scholarship her future was looking
up. Until she began the process of enrolling in school and found how
difficult it would be with no social security number, no access to grants or
loans which she desperately needed. But that was the least of her worries
because before that could take its toll the letter arrived from the Immigration
department rescinding her mom’s green card and denying her status, forever
ending her dreams of not only attending college but now of even staying in the
country…the country that is her HOME, the only country she has ever
known. Her story will shock you and what I am about to tell you is how
they got to this place and only a not-so-brief summary of the horrors our
system has bestowed upon them. This chronology is only SOME of the chaos and
unending buffoonery that this family has endured. Not knowing much about
the actual immigration process myself I have poured over countless documents
from Rachael’s files trying to understand all of this and piece together the
sheer mess that our government has made for them.
Coming here to Florida in 2000 Rachael
and Lauren began their lives in America on an E2 Visa status and hopeful for
the future ability to get their green cards and eventual naturalization.
They believed this would be their new home forever and returning to England was
never a thought. The sheer corruption of the whole process was revealed
to them very early when they inquired about green card status and they were
told her parents could not sponsor them until they were naturalized. This
proved to be a one of many false statements over the course of the following
long years. So they decided to file for a 5 year E2 Visa. To
assure it was done correctly she chose to use an immigration consultant (who
misrepresented himself as a lawyer) who told her if she paid him an additional
$1000 he would be able to expedite the process but nothing happened. She
went back and he told her she would have to pay ANOTHER $1000. When still
nothing happened she did some research and found out that he had filed NOTHING
on her behalf (yet he was fast to take the $2000 which she did not get back!)
She had to go in and demand he hand over the paperwork to her to file. He
told her she couldn't do it herself which turned out to be a lie
because she DID file it herself and it was approved. After renewing their
E2 Visa for 5 years they were informed that they could INDEED get green cards
with the sponsorship of her parents so even though they had just gotten their 5
year Visa they began the green card process filing at I-130 within the
year. This left an absurd FOUR YEARS of legal Visa status for the
government to complete the green card process. Being told the process would
take only a MAXIMUM of 2 years they felt they were more than clear and would
have green cards for SURE by the end of the Visa status. Unfortunately
the process languished on and on with a virtual unending litany of ridiculous
mistakes (ALL on the part of the immigration dept.) resulting in almost
constant trips to the Immigration office in Tampa, FL (an hour and half drive
from our home). Trips that for immigrants can result in possible waits of
hours in a room where you cannot eat, drink (try that one diabetics!) or
(conveniently) use any electronics. They are searched upon entry to the
office and can even been denied entry to the office itself to ask questions
which has happened to Rachael! This feet-dragging slow-playing poppycock
became a constant in their lives. Every day was filled with the ridiculous
boondoggle of the USCIS. This also includes but is not limited to the
constant filling out of the WRONG forms. These forms are given to them by
the agents. It’s not like they “chose” the wrong forms…they were given
them and told that is what they needed to fill out! And they filled them
out…all of them, every time. This, along with a barrage of unending fees,
would lead to more fees and more forms and still more fees with seemingly no
end. Not to mention the abhorrent treatment by the “officers” and staff
including yelling and belittling along with being asked demeaning questions as
part of the supposed “process”. I find it interesting that no one can
bring in electronics because in my opinion this is a way that they can avoid
any of their despicable behavior being taped or any of their lies and
misinformation being on record. To me a government office like that
should be transparent and on the record ALWAYS like a court of law and not like
it is now which is in effect its own police state devoid of accountability
where people can be treated like animals and have no recourse because they are
desperate to have their status approved. The great majority of the staff at
these facilities is at best lazy, overwhelmed and uneducated about the process
and at the worst incompetent power hungry tyrants who just enjoy lording
themselves over people they consider to be smaller than themselves. The
few who are kind and seem to sincerely want to help are not trained or
knowledgeable enough about the endless bureaucratic stream of paperwork and
forms to perform their jobs efficiently and effectively or given the power to
fix things when they are wrong. This can often mean that issues can be
handed off to people who have no connection to the problem, nor understand or
care about it, often even being in other states! They were even once
given a form and told it was “new” and they “didn’t really know much about it”
but she was to fill it out! Are you kidding me?? Maybe before a form is
released for use the staff SHOULD know about it and know what it does and what
it’s for! This isn’t a car wash! This is people’s lives! And maybe
while they are at it they could gather up some actual ENGLISH speaking
employees! I realize it is the IMMIGRATION dept. but really?
You should at least make sure your employees are functionally able to speak the
English language. There are actually people who are immigrants who
DO speak English. And at best I am not even sure how employees of the
USCIS that don’t have a functional use of the language can even begin to
understand the process in front of them! I am college educated and had
problems reading over everything!! There is no way you can convince me
that someone who does not have a functional use of the language should be in a
position to comprehend the endless forms and fees and then be able to explain
that to immigrants (most of whom DON’T speak much English) in a comprehensive
and accurate way!
But the real down fall for Rachael in
this process was what occurred as she approached the end of her legal 5 year E2
Visa status. Obviously the 2 year maximum to get her green card was a
joke. After YEARS of waiting and jumping through every hoop, some multiple
times, they were in fear of their 5 year E2 Visa expiring and still not having
the green card. She was told twice by agents at the USCIS that once she
applied for the I-130 and it was accepted (which occurred when she still had 4
years left on the Visa…July of 2005) she was in the system and
it didn't matter if her Visa expired. Rachael was uncomfortable
with that and decided that she would go to the office to inquire about what to
do well in advance of its expiration. She was denied admittance to the
facility in Tampa saying her “Visa is still good, go home”. This is a
perfect example of how proactive she was ALWAYS about doing the right thing and
how she went above and beyond trying to just do what was asked of her but was
constantly up against a system that was broken deep into its core. As
more time passed she got even more uneasy. She then tried the USCIS
office in Orlando and was told that she could apply for an extension to her
Visa for “safety”. For her peace of mind she paid the $1200 and filed for
the extension for the 5 year E2 and work permit. This came back DENIED.
When she went to inquire why she was denied they told her that she had failed
to provide a document which had been written on the BACK of one of the forms
(all forms are usually front side only and stapled). AND it was a double
redundancy item which they could clearly see in the other documents she
provided but she apologized for missing that ONE item and said she would gladly
provide it and was then told that she only gets ONE CHANCE and she screwed
up. (Really?? Because it seems to me that the USCIS screws up pretty much
consistently and THEY are allowed MULTIPLE tries to get it right!! Often not
getting it right at ALL!!) She was yelled at by an agent in the Orlando
office in broken English (because apparently the majority of workers at the
immigration office appear speak little English and most of which you can’t even
understand). This man (and I use that word LOOSELY) yelled at her
something like “You Illegal. You understand that? You
ILLEGAL. You get out of country now!! You ILLEGAL!” in front
of the entire room of people!! How humiliating! And to yell that at a
woman and her child? What is wrong with these people? They both
left in tears and decided to go to the office in Tampa with her father where
she was assured that it didn't matter because she was still in the
system for the green card and she would get it soon. They continued to plug
along slowly with the I-130 process at this point, always having to chase after
people and push to get things moving. They were then asked to fill out
yet another form (I-485 for permanent resident status for another $1010).
The agent who gave her the form gave her 1 form and told her the one amount to
pay and it asked for dependents so since Lauren was a dependent Rachael had no
reason to question this. After filing this form Rachael received 2
letters in the mail for her to proceed with bio-metrics. Both had
HER name on them but she assumed that one was for Lauren but in her name since
she was the mother. When they showed up for the bio-metrics she was
told the one letter was just a duplicate and sent in error (surprise) and Lauren
was not in their system! Upon returning home she called and spoke to a
seemingly very helpful and kind woman on the phone from USCIS who told her that
because Lauren was now over 14 years of age she would need to file her own
I-145 so the form she THOUGHT was for both of them in fact only covered
HER. (again not HER mistake. The agent should have given her the 2
forms but probably didn't know enough about what he was asking her to do).
Rachael immediately filled out the form for Lauren and sent another check for
$1010 which was returned to them saying they did not include enough payment as
the rate had gone up since she paid for hers! So they wrote ANOTHER check
(this time for $1070). Again more delays but they were assured it was all
clerical and would be rectified. So Rachael’s process began moving along
and eventually she was approved for her green card (April 27, 2011) but at the
final interview was told she was approved but would have to wait for the actual
card until a number became available since her previous Visa has lapsed.
He even went to check with his supervisors before he approved her saying that
he wanted to double check that everything was ok with that because
he wasn't sure. But he returned and said all was fine and she
was approved! He even offered her the option to fill out ANOTHER form that
would enable her to travel…for more money of course (since without a valid Visa
at this point she was unable to go anywhere) which she declined since her
daughter would still be unable to travel as she was STILL awaiting her green
card interview. (Rachael’s actual card in this case was not issued until
August of 2012! That is over a year after she was approved!) This, however,
gave them hope that it would not be long until Lauren was also given status.
But again the process for Lauren was lagging way behind. Due to the
constant delays in paperwork they actually had to do redo Lauren’s medical
screening (to the tune of hundreds of dollars) because the one she had done
“expired” while the USCIS took their sweet time. But eventually AFTER
ANOTHER YEAR AND A HALF of screwing around she too completed the process and
had her interview (January 7, 2013…only months before her high school
graduation which meant that from Kindergarten to graduation Lauren was just as
much a citizen here as any of our children!) Note here that the supposed 2 year
process that they applied for in 2005 (that is NOT a typo) took almost 8 years
to complete!!! Unacceptable!! But all of that washed away as Lauren
sat at the desk and took her oath and was welcomed to our country. Being
handed her approval papers she finally felt a sense of relief. After all
these years she was going to be able to enjoy all the privileges of her
friends…apply for a driver’s license, start applying for college
scholarships. Before leaving, Rachael asked just out of curiosity if the
officer could shed some light on exactly why their claims were separated since
they are mother and daughter. This is where her real nightmare began. The
woman looked at her computer screen and then raced out of the room. Upon
her return she took back the paperwork from Lauren!! She said that there
was a minor problem but it was just about “dotting the ‘i’s and crossing the
‘t’s and nothing to worry about” They said they just wanted to put them
together so that they could enjoy the benefit of naturalization together
someday. Even though Rachael thought this unnecessary they seemed
unwilling to do it any other way. But they assured them that it would all
be taken care of and it would just take a bit longer…5 days in fact. 18
days later Rachael’s father wrote a letter inquiring what was going on with the
process (since they had been told it would be rectified in 5 days and 18 days
is almost 4 times that!) Shortly after that, Rachael received a letter from
them in the mail with the intent to RESCIND HER green card and deny Lauren’s
application!! I would like to tell you for sure what their claims with this
were but it is difficult to decipher all the legal jargon and wade through the
unending pages of pure horse manure to get to the truth. What can be
surmised is that they claim there was a lapse in her legal status after the E2
extension was denied. Yet another lawyer said it is her guess (since that
is all they have as the USCIS is very careful to never admit their own fault on
paper!) that what actually is happening is that because the I-130 and the
request for extension were in the system at the same time it appears that she
is committing fraud!! WHAT??? Because she wanted to make sure her
legal status was not interrupted??? THEIR agents told her to do that! Every
form she filed was at THEIR hands and THEIR request! And she had to
conveniently pay fees to do it and I didn't hear anyone complaining about
cashing her checks! These are not the actions of someone who was seeking to
DEFRAUD the US government. These were the actions of a mother trying to
do what is right for her child and her LEGALLY! It was about a group of
untrained, ill-mannered, couldn’t-care-less, do-nothings that put her in this
position! I find it interesting that people who are getting married to
someone they have known for 2 days on the INTERNET are allowed to bring over
their NEW BRIDES from other countries no questions asked and get them green
cards and then divorce months later as free and legal citizens actually ARE
committing fraud but that is OK! Do you know that Rachael was told
numerous times during this process to just “get married” AND to marry off
LAUREN (who was a CHILD!!!!) and that would secure their residency!? Do
you know that she was told of ways to “buy” her green card…for example…putting
$10,000 cash into a doughnut shop bag in a certain location and her green card
would magically appear??! She was constantly told of unscrupulous charlatans
that would make this all go away. Yet Rachael chose none of those
options. She wanted to be a LEGAL citizen of this country and never
considered not going by the book. Well the BOOK is poorly written and
even more poorly read my friends! So after this blow of the ‘Intent to
Rescind’ letter Rachael was devastated. Horrified by this turn of events,
they inquired what they could do to fight this and were told that for yet MORE
money they could file an appeal within 30 days! They did that and put
together a HUGE packet detailing the mistakes and egregious errors that the
USCIS had made through the entire process, all her detailed information and
letters from friends and family set in a HUGE 3 ring binder complete with
summary and colored tabs to direct anyone who wanted to look very clear access
to EVERYTHING. But when the package arrived at the USCIS, they removed
and CASHED the check, then pulled everything that was neatly organized from her
binder, crammed it in an envelope and returned it to her a jumbled mess saying
they couldn't process it because there was “no notice of denial in
their system” WHAT??? Again they had no problem cashing that check
as fast as it hit their hot little hands, before even checking her
status!! At that point Rachael’s father who was the petitioner went to
Tampa and scheduled a meeting where he was told that OOPS it WAS in the system
“somewhere” but it had not reached THEIR office yet. This is another
example of one hand not knowing what the other is doing!! So they
RESUBMITTED all the papers for the appeal. They were told that they can
see all the errors that were made and that they can see they are a good family
and decent people hopefully their superiors would have empathy for their situation
as they do. They were told it would take 30 days for the appeal.
Last week after 113 days…almost 4 times what it should have taken (and they
sure as hell weren't going over their documents with a fine tooth
comb because no one could look at the absolute absurdities and not realize a
terrible mistake has been made!!) their appeal was DENIED, Rachael’s green card
was rescinded leaving them now as illegal aliens eligible for deportation from
our country. Anyone with a bit of common sense and a brain can discern that
what has occurred here is nothing short of a travesty.
I always hear people talk about
Immigration Reform and I really don’t know what they mean by that. To
some people “reform” means closing our borders to any one from another country
who wants to come here for a better life and even deporting those who are
already here. That is an absurd and selfish concept to me. Unless you are
of Native American descent your lineage is NOT that of this country. At
some point your ancestors came here to this country seeking a better life in
some way, shape or form. You have NO right to deny a better life to
anyone because you have been allowed the precious gift of freedom yourself even
if it was at the hands of your ancestors. When I first moved to Florida I
had a neighbor who had emigrated from Russia. Born on the 4th of July in
the former Soviet Union he was an inspiration to all who met him. He had
written a beautiful letter about his experiences growing up under the Communist
regime and then transitioning into perestroika and all the chaos that came with
that process. He was an eloquent writer and of the many things I took
from his journey one really stands out to me now…”The years I have spent in
America have strengthened my conviction that this is the country of my
future. We cannot choose the country of our birth just as we cannot
choose our parents. I will neither forget nor disavow my country and the people
who are dear to me, but I am prepared for my new life in America. It is
my destiny”. As with all my immigrant friends over the years I
have come to feel humbled in their presence. They did not choose to
be born into their country, as WE have not CHOSEN to be born into OURS, but
they did choose to fight for more in a new one…THIS one. They chose to
give up everything they knew to be born again into a new life here in our
country.
I have never felt threatened by
immigration or worried an immigrant would “steal” my job. A candle does
not diminish its light by lighting another candle. This country is to be
shared and I share it proudly with anyone who is willing to work hard and be my
equal. I have heard people point at the dirty men picking oranges in the
fields near my house and say horrible things about them being job
thieves. REALLY? Because you wanted so badly to PICK ORANGES for a
career??? Then I hear that because these immigrants will work for cheap
wages and we won’t, they will get hired over us. But then in the same
breath I hear how they are lazy moochers. I am pretty sure the people in
those fields dirty and covered in scratches working long hard hours traveling
where the work is are neither lazy nor moochers. They are people who want
a better life than they had. A safer life. I think possibly
immigrants appreciate our country in a way we never can. It is through
their eyes that we can see the desperation of need. We don’t have that in
our eyes because we have been born into those gifts. We should bow our
own heads in embarrassment for even thinking such thoughts of people we don’t
even know…whose “stories” we have made up in our own heads to suit our
purposes. Oh there are the bad seeds. Do not get me wrong. I
recognize that along with this broken system comes corruption and greed and
there are those who have come about their place here wrongly. But it is
not ALL of them. It is not the poor field workers who struggle to make
what is not even a living wage doing jobs that are hard and back
breaking. It is the ones who live 15 in a house stealing their neighbors
cable and all collecting welfare, food stamps and free medical care that we
should be concerned with. NOT those who are working to support themselves
and live an honest life. Do you know that Rachael and her daughter have
NEVER had or been in any way entitled to healthcare even through her job?
If they needed a doctor they paid…full price. So it is a myth and farce
that all the aliens are just being handed everything. Rachael has been
handed nothing and she has taken nothing. Yet she is the one we don’t
see. She is the REAL face of immigration here.
I remember when I was young being told
this was a melting pot and that I lived in the greatest nation in the
world. One where people from any country would be proud to call home. Now
I am not even proud to call it home. I am embarrassed at how we behave and
how we allow these atrocities to continue and all because
it doesn't really affect us right? I mean if you were born here
then who cares about these people who weren't, right? They should
just all go back where they came from and who the hell cares what happens to
them, right? WRONG. Where has our human compassion gone???
This land is a tapestry made up of millions of tiny threads of all different
colors and the more colors the better. If we all contribute to that
canvas with our gifts and talents what a beautiful world this could be.
No one “owns” this country. It is a country by the people, for the
people. ALL people. Good, decent people. And for those bad
apples that are spoiling it then it is THOSE we cast out. It is not the
people who are going through this process legally that are the problem.
It is the people who are using the vastness of the corruption of this system to
work it for their own gain. That includes the immigrants, the lawyers,
the consultants and the USCIS itself all the way down to the core of this
fractured organization. It is the unscrupulous, unfeeling lowlife scum
that take advantage of the loopholes and vulnerability in the system that are
the problem. It is the people who work outside the law with those who are impervious
to it who are making a mockery of this system. It is the deep rotted
innards of the carcass that is our immigration department that foul and sully
the process. It is NOT the good, kind, hard-working decent people of this
world that are only asking for a chance at a new life. Just as OUR
ancestors once did. What if YOUR ancestors were turned away? What
if no one stood up for them? What would have become of them…and
subsequently you?
This is nothing that a tiny bit of
common sense can’t fix. Surely we should be able to look at the paperwork
of a woman and her child and see their longstanding history with this
country. Surely we can see that at no point did she hide her existence
from the agency. She was always vocal and upfront about where she was and
what she was doing even going to exceptional lengths to make things legal and
right. They checked their status numerous times a WEEK during the entire
process! Surely we can see there on paper that she paid all their fees, filled
out all their ridiculous forms, hid NOTHING from them. She resisted all
the illegalities that were suggested to her by these supposed upholders of the
law to make sure she was doing this by the book. Yet we cast HER
aside. While those who have bought their way into a green card through
illegal means or fake weddings manage to squeeze our system like a grapefruit
for all they can get living off the backs of the people. And THOSE are
the stories we hear. Those are the stories that have stripped us of our compassion
as a united people. It is NOT the stories of good people who are as much
citizens and we are, going through what is a pathetic excuse for a process.
Those are the stories people NEED to hear. It is stories like Rachael and
Lauren’s and like my other friends that should be at the forefront of this
fight. It is THOSE stories that should unite us and burn a fire under
us. It is THOSE stories that should reignite the passion of what this
country stands for…what it was built upon. It should raise up that foundation
under our feet and allow us to stand strong for each other…for our nation…for
our HUMANITY!!
Nothing that can ever be done can make
immigration a perfect process but it can be repaired. In my eyes those
repairs start with a total strip down of the system and that includes proper
and thorough training of employees, a simplified process that everyone can
understand not filled with pages of legal jargon that even a college educated
person can’t deconstruct. It means cleaning house of the entire Immigration
Department. Those that want to learn and be a positive force can do so
and the rest should be fired…cast out as those that have come to them begging
for rights have been at THEIR hands. The lawyers and consultants should
be investigated and held accountable for the lies and money schemes and no
longer be able to use their privilege and standing to circumvent the law for
their own financial gain. In fact there should be a whole department that
does nothing but expose corruption from every angle and weed out the true
illegals and by that I don’t mean everyone with no current status. I mean
the people who have come about their status by illegal means and shortcuts. The
days of allowing the rampant corruption and abuse of this Dystopia need to be
over. But I believe that true reform will come only at the hands of this
country’s citizens requesting…no DEMANDING…a complete overhaul of the entire
immigration system. But that does not mean slamming our borders shut and
kicking out the people who have become a solid part of this country.
THOSE immigrants embody the true essence of what an American is in my
eyes. What our ancestors intended America to be. A great land made
up of people from all over bringing to the table their unique talents and gifts
to build a stronger more solid society…to make us all more worldly, more
compassionate…to restore our country to the once great and powerful world
leader it once was.
At the end of the song “America” the
word ‘today’ is repeated…”they’re coming to America…today” and each time
the word is spoken it gets softer and softer until it is merely a whisper
exasperated against the softness of the song. Sadly I think that is what
has happened with immigration. Its triumphant uplifting passionate cry is
being drown out to a whisper by a process that is broken and people who seek to
defraud. It is all that is left for the honest, good-hearted and genuine
people who come here seeking only the chance to contribute and grow and
prosper. It is up to us…those with common sense…those of us with courage
in our spirits and bravery in our souls to stand up and make sure that ‘Today’
is lifted up and shouted clearly and never again reduced to a whisper.
