A long time ago, in my first-grade year, I told my mom that I was ashamed of my complexion. I have an olive skin color, but I saw beyond it and instead saw my Mexican heritage come to the fore front of my social awkwardness as a first-grade student at Nolanville Elementary School. Now, this was based on the ideas that a darker complexion, no matter how many shades darker, has been viewed throughout history as negative. I, an American citizen born in the mountains of Colorado, military brat, friend to hundreds of other Americans, am the great-grandson of two illegal immigrants. Two men chose to cross the border illegally into the United States in hopes of a better future, unwilling to endure the dysfunctional system that was US immigration policy that still remains today as dysfunctional.
My great-grandfathers, Genaro Rodriguez and Charles Cárdenas, crossed the border early 20th century. They married my wonderful great-grandmothers who I knew when I was younger and growing up. Unfortunately, both were never able to tell me stories of their past before they passed due to health complications and dementia. However, I know both worked very hard to be a part of the American Labor Force and continued it until the day they died. Their history is one of hardship, but resilience. They started with nothing and ended their lives with more than they ever imagined by working in the brutal Southern Texas heat picking cotton, or long hours in a factory far away from home. They knew nothing but handwork and family values, which reflects both in myself and every descendant of an American immigrant.
While these efforts are an important part of my family history, politicians and media portray immigration as wrongful, improper, and almost forbidden. With some Americans feel that illegal immigration is limiting legal Americans opportunities to get a job, it is unfair to make this perception while the immigration process to gain American citizenship is utterly tedious and dreary. Most going through the process have to work through a visa and green card which has become the adverse symbolic representation of an immigrant, particularly, an immigrant from Mexico.
Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz want to build a wall between Mexico and the United States, two countries that have been close allies since after World War I. Mexico and Central America provide the United States with the largest foreign-born cut of the labor force. Donald Trump has called my people rapists and criminals while trying to contrary his claim by saying "some are good people." My thing is that they are good people, only looking for a better opportunity for themselves and their families. My family and thousands of families go through the immigration process to work but having to leave their families in Mexico where they are susceptible to the corruption that has plagued the country for years. You want to know who are also rapists and criminals? People in our own country. College campuses and work environments have become areas of interest for sexual assault and harassment. White collar crime continues to be the most discounted form of crime in America for centuries that has cost Americans millions.
There are people work tirelessly for a better future, but a presidential candidate makes the claim that they are "rapists". Does that mean that my great-grandparents more likely to be "rapists" and "criminals?" Does that mean that the descendants of my great-grandparents, the result of this illegal immigration, follow this notion? Am I any less American being the descendant of two illegal immigrants than a man whose ancestors have been in the US since the Civil War?
Mexican immigrants are not crossing the border to bring crime to our country, but for the mere opportunity to escape the crime and corruption facilitated by the hundreds of drug cartels in Mexico; the same opportunity that I, my sister, my brother, my mother and all my family have had the opportunity in the early 20th century. I don't speak Spanish, but there is no need for translation when we open our eyes to what is happening right now. By allowing our political leaders to scapegoat immigrants, we are allowing an entire population of Americans to be scrutinized and criticized for something that those for their own political interests which to create and manipulate for their own personal and political interests. Those looking for a better life for their families is something that should not be criticized or scrutinized, but should be embraced to improve. Immigration reform is necessary and needs to be addressed immediately. The hyperbole of building a wall only enhances the issue without a solution. The problem is the immigration process. If we improve immigration process, illegal immigration will desist and be controlled. It's time to stop giving in to the hyperbole and the ridiculous nature of these corporations. Point the finger at the issue and not the scapegoat. I am an American who wants a future America where we can actually be the true beacon of refuge for those escaping the corruption and violence of Syria and Mexico.
My mom wrote something the other day that needs to be shared:
"I saw this photo [check header], and I thought of my mother. She was a migrant worker as a child, picking cherries in Wisconsin. Her parents as well as my father's parents were pickers. My husband, Noel Cardenas', family shared a similar story. We are an immigrant family and our story is not unique. Many in our family made a choice to come to the US illegally in search of something better. Our grandparents were pickers, a maid, a garbage man, aseamstress, and a warehouse packer. These eight people, had a dream for something better for all of us. This is the result: 1 superintendent of schools, 20 teachers, 4 business managers, 3 principals, 4 accountants, 1 librarian, 1 school counselor, 1 border agent, 4 insurance agents, 1 Doctor of psychology , 4 salesmen, 1 architect, 3 lawyers, 1 (amazing) chef, 2 civil servant, 1 civil engineer, 1 Texas State Representative, 2 home builders, 2 Army Colonels, 1 hospital VP, 4 business owners, 1 pharmaceutical VP, 4 pharmacists, 2 nurses, 1 engineer and a Doctor. The value of education and hard work was instilled in all of us by all of them. I'm sure that I speak for my entire family when I say thank you to all of them for the choices that they made that provided us with the opportunities that we've received. We are a proud and successful American family!"
These are the individuals who have and will change the world. In time, I pray it will be a reality for all those looking for a "Better Life."
