My parents immigrated to this country in 1994. They came on a legal work visa, and got their citizenships in 2007. They had my brother in 1995 and 4 years later, they had me. My brother and I, under the 14th amendment to the Constitution of the United States which states birthright citizenship, were born US citizens. I grew up here as an American citizen. To me, my identity as an American is incredibly important to me. That seal on my passport means I have so many opportunities available to me that I could never have anywhere else. And I intend to serve it back. I defend it, I call it the best country in the world, I am an American citizen. It is a point of pride for me, like it is for so many others.
And now, Donald Trump wants to get rid of that right.
He thinks it's ridiculous that people like me have citizenship in this country.
This country opens its arms and welcomes people to it, built on the foundation of the American dream and the land of opportunity for all people. We've had our fair share of issues with immigration, inclusion, and racism, but this country has never yet been so xenophobic as to slowly attempt to close its doors to any and all.
The first sentence of the 14th amendment states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside," granting citizenship to all legal, law-abiding people born on American soil.
This amendment clearly shows that at one point, immigration was a beloved thing. It was a defining factor of progress in society, it was what made America a wonderful salad bowl with so many different cultures mixing together to create something new. Wake up call, America, immigration is the reason you have different kinds of food, the reason you have computers, the reason we won the second world war, the reason white people are able to appropriate cornrows, henna, music, etc., the reason... I could go on. This Amendment welcomed all immigrants, allowing them to come with peace of mind, knowing their children and their families would be well taken care of here in America, which is truly their only main motive.
America's core principles are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of happiness. This happiness is what immigrants come here in pursuit of. For a better life for their families, for their children, for themselves. And here, with travel bans, immigration quotas, and now this clear violation of rights, Trump is definitively throwing up a giant middle finger to the very core principles of our country.
What happened? Why are we closing our doors? What are we so afraid of?
Possibly, Trump will never be able to overrule the constitution. But the very fact that these kinds of ideas are even being supported and vocalized by the President of the United States is frightening. It's highlighting a very dangerous shift in our culture. America has been a globalized nation for far, far too long to start shutting its doors now. This trend of nationalism isn't supportable in the world today; we're far too dependent on our global relationships and part of that is having open borders to the world.
Part of that is recognizing that immigrants have every right to be in this country and have every right to be contributing citizens.
Mindy Kaling puts it well:
Wait. I was born in the United States to two Indian professionals who later became proud citizens of this country.… https://t.co/NvUNn1ihUG— Mindy Kaling (@Mindy Kaling) 1540918962.0
It's not like immigrants enjoy uprooting their entire lives and moving to a brand new country where they possibly know no one, where the culture is different, where life is going to be extremely difficult for them until they can get back on their own feet. They come here because they want to make their lives better, and through it all, they contribute to the country in ways that only diversity of thought and culture could.
And if the argument is based on illegal immigrants, the constitution is already set up that way. Illegal immigrants are not being granted citizenship, and their children are not granted citizenship either. That's a hotly contended issue of the interpretation of the 14th amendment, but that's how it is already set up.
Removing the legal right for any child born here, raised here, and who is truly American to be an American - that just doesn't make sense.
And, okay how would citizenship even work then? It would be granted solely based on blood? Okay, well then hand over your passports every single white person ever, because you don't belong here either.
Truly, Trump is a genius. He said just the right thing to poke at a contentious point in the nation right before one of the most important elections happening during our time. He's saying just the right things he needs to say to stir controversy, polarize, and energize people to get to the polls. His audience lives off of this kind of rhetoric and it charges them up. But we're not going to take this sitting either. We know the truth, we know the facts, we have the capacity to see exactly what this snakey businessman is trying to do. Rush the polls, forward-thinking citizens of America. Rush the polls on election day and make the change we need to see happen. It's up to you now.
