Why Immigration Law?

Why immigration law? Well, I would like to begin by saying that my life, in most aspects, has been very easy. I attended a prestigious private school growing up, because my parents had the means to do so. I was able to join any extracurricular activity I desired to be in. I had two loving parents who made sure I was well taken care of at all times. I grew up with two older siblings, a brother and a sister, who were always looking out for me. I had a crystal clear pool in my backyard, two big dogs, steaming fresh food on my plate every night, heat/AC in my house at all times, access to relaxing, hot showers everyday, etc. I went to a school with extremely low crime rates and some of the best teachers in the county, maybe even in the State of New Jersey. And when it came to luxuries, I had them all. The bright red and green Christmas tree was always filled to the brim with shiny, big presents for each and every one of my siblings and I. Needed new leather dress shoes to go with my uniform for school? I had them in an instant. Wanted a new TV to watch Sunday night football with the family for the living room? Dad was on the way to Target to buy a brand new one with a shiny black screen awaiting to be put in our warm home. Need more food for dinner? Mom is already on the way to Whole Foods to pick up all our favorite ingredients to make her famous warm, crispy, and comforting mac and cheese that my siblings and I raved for. I could go on for decades talking about the luxuries I was lucky enough to receive as a child, yet that isn't necessarily the point I intend to get across. 

“So, again, why is immigration law so important to you?” At a young age, I soon realized that the things I was given in life were a privilege, not a right. Some children were not able to grow up like I did. In fact, most children don't receive half of the luxuries I grew up with. Now, one thing I care to mention is that I am the granddaughter of immigrants. My mother's parents immigrated to the U.S. from Italy, and my Father’s parents immigrated to the U.S. from Puerto Rico. Although I grew up in a healthy, stable household, I was always aware of how my parents and grandparents grew up. The struggle my grandparents had to go through to get here, to stay here, and to soon thrive here in the United States was always taught to me from a very young age. I vividly remember my Grandma explaining to me that her native Italian language wasn't accepted here. She was forced into American culture the very second she was thrown off the boat from Italy, literally. As she struggled to deal with life here in the United States already, she soon realized she had to learn a whole new language in order to pass her citizenship test. Alone, in a house you could barely call a home, an 18 year old confused, startled, young girl was beginning to learn the English language, hoping so dearly that one day that America could give her what Italy could not. Soon enough, her culture was stripped right from her back. 

I was educated about the atrocity that is racism from a young age from my father and my mother; they made it clear that it was not, by any means, an easy process to assimilate to life here in the United States. In fact, hearing what my grandparents went through mortifies me. “You aren't an immigrant, you don't have to go through their struggles, why do you care so much about this?” Okay, picture this: It is 1957, and an 18 year old girl is steadily perched on a small, stingy, wooden chair. As she sits there, her thickened callus-filled fingers steadily and carefully sew the seams onto the shirts that wealthy white men will soon wear. As the day goes by, her hands are brittle, her back aches, and she finally exits the stemming hot factory at 9pm from a long 10-hour day slaving at work. She leaves with 10 dollars. On the other side of town is her husband. He struggles to stay hydrated as he slaves in the sun for hours on end building houses that will soon be occupied by a happy, wealthy couple with their son and daughter. As he wishes he had a break for water or food, he remembers and savors the thought of the 12 dollars he will bring home that day. Hoping he can have a hot dinner that night, he hunches over and continues to work in the blazing heat for another five hours. Crazy, isn't it? Horrifying, isn't it? So, maybe I don't have to go through the hardships they did, and I never will, but I refuse to be ignorant. I can thankfully say that my family was lucky enough to arrive here safely, even though their fight to stay here was grueling and exhausting. Yet, for many other immigrants, their trip here and life thereafter in the U.S. can be seen as an existential crisis. I soon realized that my grandparents and parents gave up their entire culture and life in their native countries, so my generation could have a better life, so we could live out “The American Dream.” I started to appreciate their efforts greatly. My parents and grandparents fought so hard for a place in this country and didn't stop until they could make their children’s lives better than theirs. This idea was daunting to me and I constantly thought about it as a child, and I soon became passionate about Immigration law, more importantly to help those who struggle to gain citizenship in this nation. I was anguished by that fear that millions of people go through this same struggle everyday, and will continue to go through this struggle. My deep appreciation for my family soon turned into a passion to help others in their same previous position. I decided at a young age that Immigration law was then what I wanted to practice in life. Why immigration law? Hopefully the answer is becoming clearer. 

Why Immigration law? What is the big deal? You and your family are in this country, so why do you care so much? These questions have flooded through my mind my entire life, and I have been asked these questions countless times as well. Questions like these are like dominoes. When one question is asked, a swarm of new questions fills my mind, like a domino falling over, causing every other domino in front of it to collapse. When these questions are presented to me, rather than answers flooding my brain, I think of more questions. Why do I deserve human rights, but a child in Cuba doesn't? Why was I able to grow up with hot food on my plate everyday, but a single mother in Uruguay can't afford to buy groceries more than once a month? Why is it that I am able to speak my mind whenever I want and not get punished for it? Why am I so privileged? These questions swarm my head when I am asked, “Why Immigration law?” All the dominos start to fall. I cannot help but wonder why people even have the audacity to ask that question. Why shouldn't I give back to those who need it; and why is it fair I was given luxuries that others aren't granted? I learned from a young age that I should use my privilege to the advantage of others, to help those who cannot help themselves. People will continue to ask me throughout my life, and future career, why it matters so much to me, and the answer is as simple as this: The world we live in is extremely unfair and biased, and we all live contrasting lives; and although we cannot give others our lives and switch places, we can help them. Why immigration law? Because I am not any more worthy of human rights than of another individual, I am indebted to these people who are less fortunate. According to Migration Policy Institute, “Of the 17.8 million children of immigrants, 45 percent were in low-income families. This is a higher rate than for children of U.S.-born parents (35 percent of the 51.1 million)” (Esterline and Batalova). The fight as an immigrant to succeed in this country almost never ends, and without the help of people like me, the fight is hopeless. 

I can only hope that my education will lead me to fulfill these goals one day, and that I will be able to inspire others to see outside the lens of their own lives. When I was born into my family, my community, my neighborhood, etc., I was given so much, including my education. I believe that this is my greatest tool of all, that it will, one day, allow me to make this world a better place. I cannot say the question, “Why Immigration Law?” is necessarily stupid. I strongly believe that this question has helped me and inspired me to move towards my goals, to hopefully make the answer to this question so clear to others. I have found that kindness is like a revolving door; you need that extra push from the person in front of you in order to get to the other side. Simply being nice to somebody, helping them, encourages that same individual to help another person. Kindness, like this door, is often reciprocated from person to person, whether that act of kindness be large or small. We, as humans, need to receive kindness to create acts of kindness. Our existence is based on the compassion of others, we can always use what we have to make this world a better place, and I will always stand by that.

References

Batalova, Jeanne, and Cecilia Esterline. “Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States.” Migrationpolicy.org, 29 Aug. 2022, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states.