Immigration is one of the most prominent and divisive issues in politics today. Conservative pundits frequently bemoan the "problem" posed by both legal and illegal immigration. They claim that immigration is harmful to this country because immigrants take up jobs that would normally go to native-born Americans. They complain that illegal immigrants flood our hospitals, receiving medical care without paying taxes. They argue that children who do not speak English drag down other children in the classroom. Some argue that immigrants commit crimes, form gangs and refuse to assimilate into American culture.
It may be true that illegal immigration is a major issue in modern society. It may be that our immigration policy is in need of reform. We must not forget, however, the important role that immigrants have played and continue to play in this society.
In a collection of poems entitled "Alabanza," Martin Espada reminds us of the human element in the immigration debate. Immigrants are not just a demographic; they are living people who came to this country to work to achieve better lives for themselves and their families. They were drawn here by the promise of the "American Dream," which teaches us that we can all achieve a better standing in life if we work hard and endeavor to succeed, an opportunity not available in many parts of the world.
Espada describes the conditions faced by refugees in other nations in poems such as "The Skull Beneath the Skin of the Mango." In this poem, an American reporter collecting mangoes in El Salvador "glanced down and found his sneaker/ Pressing against the forehead/of a human skull, yellow/ Like the flesh of a mango./ He wondered how many skulls/ Are crated with the mangoes/ For sale at market, how many/ Grow yellow flesh and green skin/ In the wooden boxes exported/ To the States. This would explain, /He said to me,/ Why so many bodies/ Are found without heads/ In El Salvador." Atrocities in many areas of the world force refugees to seek shelter in the United States.
Now, what of the jobs that immigrants are allegedly "stealing?" They are far from glamorous. In "Leo Blue's and the Tiger Rose," Espada describes the strenuous labor performed by immigrant agricultural workers. We see a labor camp and its inhabitants: "Tin shacks and a sand pit/ Gathering place for apparitions/ Killed by the heat ... All day bending/ Like something storm-broken/ And left to sway/ Dream scarecrows/ With stiff hands picking./ Ten hours gone." Espada underlines the exploitation of these workers, describing "Minimum wage signs no one can read ... Camp meals ... Deducted with brown pay-envelope arithmetic:/ Mitchell works three days/ For six dollars. /We wait/ As he soaps the farmer's car/ To pay for the last/ Of his meals."
Many immigrants to this country do not have it easy. They struggle just to get by, and they work hard to feed their families and survive. However, although many endure poor living and working conditions, they are nevertheless grateful to have the opportunity to work.
Most immigrants work in the service industry, busing tables and washing dishes, performing janitorial work and manual labor and working in agriculture. It is important to remember the role of immigration in our nation's history. Almost all of us are the descendents of immigrants. The same arguments used against immigration today were once used against many of our own ancestors.
When millions of immigrants from Europe flooded into America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they were met with immense hostility. They were ostracized for their accents, cultural customs and religious beliefs. They had difficulty finding employment; many businesses even placed signs in their windows that read "Irish need not apply." Most immigrants lived in extreme poverty; many lived in crowded, unsanitary tenement buildings, working long hours in factories for low pay. The conditions in these factories were abysmal. The factories were hot and dangerous. The work was tedious and boring. Employees worked long hours with few breaks, and before the passage of child labor laws, children worked in factories as well.
Native-born, American, white Anglo-Saxon Protestants argued that Irish immigrants would never be true Americans; because of their Catholicism, they would be loyal to the pope rather than the U.S. president. Jewish immigrants were also ostracized for their religious beliefs. WASPs argued that immigrants from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Russia, Germany and many other countries would never be able to assimilate and would therefore threaten the fabric of American society.
History has proven these arguments completely false. It teaches us that Americans of foreign descent are patriotic and productive citizens who have contributed a great deal to this country. It is ridiculous to argue that modern immigrants will drag our country down and threaten our cultural values and cohesion. On the contrary, history suggests that we should embrace immigrants because they carry with them not only a dedication to hard work, but a passionate belief in the core American values of freedom and opportunity.
Melissa Jones is a sophomore majoring in political science.
