Making America Great?

Let's talk about something that's been bothering me for awhile... Trump's policy on illegal immigrants.

Before you get on my tail about how it's a "good thing," how illegal immigrants are "taking our jobs, raping our women, and murdering people," you don't need to read if you don't want to. Go ahead and close the page, but be warned. You'll be forever blinded by ignorance.

First, I'm going to talk about my heritage. I'm mostly Irish, which means my ancestors had to endure a ton of suck when they came off the boat, despite the fact that my great-great grandfather helped build one of the most well known cities in Ohio that's been around for quite sometime. (Bruce Springsteen even wrote a song about it.) Life must've been great, right?

Nope.

Americans HATED the Irish, and yet we all act Irish on the feast of Saint Pádraig (Saint Patrick's Day). People blamed the Irish for various problems, coining the ironic term "the luck of the Irish" They mainly came here for refuge from the Potato Famine that everyone probably has heard about at some point in their lives. But the Irish enriched American culture in more ways than one, and I'm proud to say that my family hasn't forgotten their roots.

Does that sound familiar at all?

Not only do we turn away refugees from war, but ICE arrests innocent people. Do you realize that only 16.9% of all violent crime is committed by Hispanics and Latinos? That's practically nothing compared to the whopping 63.7% committed by white people. Why do we blame these people for the problems we've caused?

I've been doing some research, and I want you to realize that these innocent people that ICE is arresting have families, children, and they are being taken away from them for just wanting a better life.

A video popped up in my feed of a young girl whose father was taken away. She said he pushed her to do her absolute best, helping her train to win a biking marathon, which she placed first in. She said her father was taken away before she went to school that day right in front of her, and yet she still went to school, because her father had always told her that education was important.

Now tell me why a hard working family man who only wanted what was best for his daughter should be taken away only because he lacked the proper paperwork?

Emma Lazarus once wrote in her most famous poem

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

In this poem, she points out how America is a refuge to those who are suffering, it's the land of opportunity that people were once told that the streets are paved with gold. Why do we take these things away from people who deserve it the least?

In my lifetime, I've known two Hispanic girls, both of whom became my good friends. There was Wendy, who came from a small town in Mexico and didn't speak a word of English, but I learned some Spanish to talk to her, despite studying French at the time. We mainly used a translator app to have long conversations, and she was one of the nicest people I'd ever met. The other girl, Linda, came from Panama. She spoke nearly perfect English and was the funniest person I knew. I went stag at prom, and we hung out with a few other friends, having the time of our lives.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen them in a while. I find myself thinking about them both from time to time, hoping that they're alright.

As for a personal experience, my school does a foreign exchange program, and we get some pretty awesome people. The best person I've met was from the Philippines. He was funny, charming, and an all around good guy. Toward the beginning of the year, we make a video introducing the year's foreign exchange students. Something happened to the files, and we had to interview them again. The first time, this guy was very excited and talked about how blessed he was to have the opportunity to study in America. When we recorded him again, he said he didn't want to stay any longer than he had to, with how people had been treating foreigners since the election. It broke my heart.

Before I wrap this up, I want to hit on one more thing, when people complain about people speaking a different language, saying that "We're in America, speak English" but you need to realize that once again, we are a nation of immigrants. There is no such thing as an "official language," and that's the beauty of our nation. We are diverse, we are unique, and we are one. That is who we are, and that shall forever be our legacy.

We are a nation built on the blood, sweat, and tears of immigrants, and no one can change that, no matter how hard you try. I don't know how long it will take for Americans to realize this, but I feel like if we do, our problems would be a lot less.