I am an immigrant. I came to the United States from Spain at age five and now I hold a dual citizenship; both my Spanish roots and assimilation into American culture has made me into a Spanish-American.

I am the product of two very different different yet very similar cultures.

I am one of 42 million immigrants who currently reside in the United States.

I am one of 42 million people who have left everything they’ve ever known to start a life in a new place. I, like my 42 million counterparts, left the safety and comfort of my birthplace (for whatever reason it may be) to start a new life in America.

I am a college student.

I do not “leech off” of hardworking Americans. I am a college student on a scholarship because I have worked my ass off since I arrived to this country.

I am not “lazy” nor do I “steal jobs”. I actually balance being a full-time student, having a full-time job, an internship, a (semi sad) social life, and medical issues and still manage to be on the Dean’s list.

If I get a job over an American-born citizen because I am more qualified, it’s because I am more qualified, just as if an American-born citizen gets a job over me because of their qualifications, I’m not going to sit and moan about how these “damn Americans are stealing our jobs”. Honestly, if an immigrant gets a particular job instead of you, the “native” then you should acknowledge as to why that is. Is it really because immigrants are coming to “steal your jobs” or is it because they’re a better candidate than you?

“Immigrants are using my hard earned tax money for food stamps! *Cue whining*.” Wrong. Would it surprise you to know that the majority of people who rely on food stamps are not actually immigrants, but those who are Caucasian and originally born in the United States.

“Ilegal immigrants are getting benefits and taking them away from hardworking Americans!!”

Believe it or not, I’ve actually heard this uttered out of several people’s mouths. Sorry to break it to you, but if someone is illegal there is no way for them to receive any type of benefits… That statement is not only ridiculous but incredibly ignorant. People should learn to check facts before they go around spewing myths that some people are dumb enough to actually believe.

There are lazy Americans. There are lazy Spaniards. There are lazy people from every single country, state, city, university, etc. That’s a fact and it’s fine to acknowledge it. What’s not okay, however, is to generalize because generalizing is where stereotypes and problems arise.

It offends me when people who are just like me are judged and referred to as lazy and are threatened with being deported just because we were born somewhere else. Something as trivial as your country of origin does not change who you are as a person, and maybe instead of judging immigrants, we should welcome them with open arms.

If this is the land of equal opportunity, then everyone should have an equal opportunity.

Oh, and if you feel entitled to decide whether or not immigrants should be allowed in, take a good look at your family and their history; chances are, unless you're a Native American, you come from the descendants of immigrants.