Yet, Here We Are.
A Latina’s Reflections on the Immigration and Refugee Crises
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When I finally sat down to rest on the bus back to Haifa from Nazareth, my mind was committed to one too many languages. Just in that one day, I heard a little boy calling his mom in Russian, got advice in Hebrew from a bus driver, received church directions in French, stumbled into German in the streets, practiced some Arabic over coffee, spoke with my travel partner in English and retold the entire day to my mother in Spanish.
Sitting in the back of that bus, I stopped to think about the thousands of years of cultural and linguistic richness that were at my disposal. Each language was nurtured over thousands of years by the cultural environment that it belonged to. I was exposed, even if only minimally, to a spectrum of cultures and worldviews. In the richness of this diversity, I felt my mind flourish. I was not surprised.
In fact, I had already been introduced to the benefits of diversity. As a Colombian immigrant in the United States, diversity was my bread and butter. I went to school with students of diverse origins, religions and ethnicities.
In history classes, I learned America had welcomed immigrants and reaped the benefits of their incoming diversities. I learned that the potato famine brought approximately 20 percent of Ireland’s population to America. I learned that Chinese peoples fleeing drought found a home in America and helped built the railroads that would sprawl across the continent. I learned that Italians, Poles and Jews crossed the Atlantic to find shelter and contribute to the unique character of the American entrepreneurial spirit. I learned that America was a place for those fleeing oppression and disaster. I learned that immigration increased economic capacity, maintained a young demography and enriched the nation’s culture. I learned that America was a nation of immigrants. I learned that, as an immigrant, I was a part of America.
Today, I am either questioning my education or I am questioning this nation. As a Latina, it has been particularly heartbreaking to hear my community described as outsiders, rapists and criminals. In the aftermath of these comments, I felt like an intruder in my own home. I felt like my very identity was being labeled as incompatible with American identity and values. However, I quickly realized that history was repeating itself.
Although I am shocked by the aggressiveness of the national discourse, I am not completely surprised by the critics of the current wave of immigration. Each generation of immigrants was met with critics who feared negative economic and cultural consequences of immigration. However, these fears were largely misguided and the result of immigration was contrary to the critic’s expectations. Besides the cultural richness and diversity brought by immigration, research by renowned economists shows that immigrants do not harm, and might even benefit, native-born workers1. Because immigrants tend to work complementary jobs, they often make American workers more productive. Immigration is also a demographic force that keeps the American workforce competent and young. Even more, immigrants tend to be innovative, bring business contacts from other countries and are less likely to commit crimes2.
In a sense, a history lesson and some economic figures could positively serve the current immigration debate. However, in the context of the global refugee crisis, the national conversation takes two more steps backward. It is inundated with fear, ignorance and hatred.
The civil war in Syria and the rise of global terror at the hands ISIS has created a distinct outflow of refugees. As refugees, this immigrant group seeks, not a better life, but mere survival. Even more, their oppressors have taken credit for multiple terror attacks and fed the world a wave of propaganda that makes the Western public assimilate fear with the refugees’ very identity. The emotional proximity of the Paris attacks and the terrorist group’s stellar propaganda campaign has succeeded in spreading fear. In addition, the lack of knowledge on the conflict and misconception of Islam by the general public has brought together a very ugly situation. Fear and ignorance have coupled to breed hatred.
As a Colombian immigrant studying abroad in the Middle East, I sat in the back of the bus back to Haifa thinking hard. Then, I remembered sitting with my peers in history class looking with disappointment at those bad episodes in history. Everyone shamed the aggressors and was puzzled as to why the rest of the world would let this happen. Yet, here we are.
To anyone reading, I dare you to break this cycle. I ask that you look deep into your heart and do something. I can’t change everything. You can’t change everything. This truth is discouraging. Still. We cannot let what we can’t do get in the way of what we can do. I dare to do something and, even if only minimally, change history.
1 David Madland and Nick Bunker, “Legal Status for Undocumented Workers Is Good for American Workers,” Center for American Progress Action Fund, March 20, 2013, https://www.americanprogressaction.org/issues/labo...
2 U.S. Chamber of Commerce – Report – Immigration https://www.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/lega...
