It is funny after reading one article after the other about recent immigration issues;
no one is really taking initiative. The
Republicans and Democrats are dancing around in a circle while the rest of us
wait for the next move on the surge of children crossing the Texas-Mexican
border. The article Border Crisis: GOP falls into a trap by Ruben Navarrette made me realize this reality. The
Republicans (four Democrats approved the second bill) have approved two bills
while the Senate was in rest since Labor Day. The first bill is to spend additional money,
a $694 million for keeping an eye out on the border. The second bill is to end the Deferred Action
for Childhood Arrivals (which was a two year reprieve for undocumented children).
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| Two year reprieve for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Photo Courtesy to: Texastribune.org |
The House
of Republicans approved two outrageous bills.
These bills are not in favor
for immigrants and will not contribute to any movement for immigrants. The problem I think is the politicians
do not see the life immigrants are living.
Not only see what they live through but what they have to go through in order to
survive in a jarring environment. For
example, in The Distance Between Us, the main character of the book, Reyna Grande (the time she was living in Mexico) lived a harsh life. As
a young girl, she had to share a “bed” the size of twin with her two older
siblings. Plus, Reyna and her siblings had to share their pint sized room with their
grandpa. Let’s just say their grandpa
isn’t the nicest man in the world, all he did was drink or smoke. “Close to
the door was a twin-size box spring raised on bricks and covered with a straw
mat. The “bed” was pushed up against the wall, underneath the tiny window that
looked out onto an alley. This is where
Mago, Carlos, and I slept.” (Reyna 15).
Similar
countries like El Salvador, Honduras, or even Guatemala are living in a similar
manner. The children from these countries
are trying to find an asylum by crossing the border into the United State. Now, with the Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals ended, it adds onto the immigrant's stress. Many
immigrants from South America have sacrificed a great deal to enter the United
States. When they finally do arrive in the United States, they still are
disrespected and have to live poorly. Similarly,
in The Distance Between Us, Reyna and
her siblings were disrespected to a point of emotional and physical pain. It was difficult for Reyna to be involved in
basic activities without being teased or harshly judged just because she was
“different.” “I was not good at making
friends. I shied away from kids because
there was always something for which they would make fun of me: my ridiculous
name, my height, my Payless tennis shoes, my thick accent, the unfashionable
clothes” (Reyna 240).
I don’t
intend for this blog post to attack anyone.
Hopefully, no one has gotten his or her feelings hurt but if I have, I
apologize. It is difficult to not take
sides on an issue like immigration.
Besides, this country was born because of immigration. Now, people (who are in favor of deportation
for immigrants) are trying to keep the immigrants out. It’s not fair for the ones who were a little
late for the process of becoming a citizen of this country. I think we should be more open to the ideas
of immigration because it is truly the foundation to one of the greatest
nations in the world, The United States of America.
Work Cited
Renya Grande. The Distance Between Us. New York:
Washington Square Press, 2012.
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