Guest Column
Why do immigrants condemn rather than appreciate U.S.?
- By Judi "J.Rod" Rodriguez
- The Brownsville Herald
- I consider myself
extremely fortunate to have been born and raised in the United States. I
have ancestors who came from Ireland, Spain and Mexico, but I am proud to
call myself an American with a Spanish surname. I have many friends who
call themselves Americans, Mexican Americans, Chicanos, Hispanics or
Latinos who were born in the United States or fulfilled the legal
requirements to become citizens of this beautiful country.
Immigration and the movement of people to the United States have been the bases for the growth of our country. The quality of life in the United States has been a magnet for many of our ancestors and the United States has become a melting pot. Unfortunately, the strong ethnic values of some immigrants have resisted this melting pot. Those who are protesting and demonstrating are now showing it.
I see civil unrest with the immigration rallies and students protesting with walkouts, resulting in some arrests and suspensions from school. A quote from Cesar Chavez comes to mind: "Lawlessness breeds lawlessness." If I remember correct from my readings, it was also Mr. Chavez who stated that allowing illegal immigration would drive down wages and import poverty. Isn’t that what is happening to the illegal immigrants?
The common denominator that I find is the need to stop illegal immigration. The Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C., estimates there are about 12 million undocumented foreigners in the United States coming from Latin America, Asia, Europe, Canada and Africa. I for one still hold the 9/11 incident close to my heart and thus a source of fear. There is a great need to stem the influx of undocumented immigrants. We need to have control of the identification of the visitors coming to our home.
Employers are protesting the proposed reforms because they argue that the illegal immigrants do the jobs the lazy American citizens do not want to do. Well, shame on these employers for paying such low wages with little or no benefits and privileges that keep the U.S. citizens away.
Immigrants claim the rights they say were extended to them by the Constitution. I have always had a question regarding this statement. I was and still am under the impression that the U.S. Constitution is meant for the citizens of the United States. Am I wrong? If such, may I go to Russia or Mexico or Timbuktu and ask for rights according to their constitutions or similar documents?
If I remember correctly from my civics and government classes at Brownsville High School and Texas Southmost College with the late Ruby Wooldridge and Mrs. Frances Eacho, I am aware that the original Constitution did not supply a definition of citizenship, nor did it specify who was a citizen. In 1868 the 14th Amendment gave an authoritative definition, stating that all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are citizens of the United States and state where they resided. In the United States citizens hold all rights, privileges and immunities outlined in the Constitution. Are immigrants automatically made citizens?
I see the current protests and demonstrations by students in Houston, Austin and El Paso against the new proposals for immigration reform. I understand their fear of being sent back home if their parents are sent back home, but it is very difficult to sit back and allow anyone to ridicule my flag, spit on it and even burn it. If they want the rights guaranteed by our flag, they must first learn to respect our flag.
Can you imagine a bunch of American citizens moving to Mexico illegally and demonstrate wearing Vicente Fox masks, spitting on the Mexican flag and demanding rights? Can you, as a U.S. citizen, get a free education in Mexico? I don’t think so!
I do strongly oppose the construction of fences or walls along our borders. How hypocritical can we get? We criticized the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall. I can still visualize President Ronald Reagan on Nov. 8, 1989, standing behind the podium and saying, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." Now we want to build our own wall?
We need to develop a method to provide for better vigilance of our borders, but not a wall.
I don’t have a solution or suggestions to improve these immigration reforms. I guess if I did I would run for public office, but there is one thing I would like to express. When I was a young kid and a visitor to someone’s home, my Mom expected me to be at my best behavior, be polite and not fight! I also knew enough not to set fire to their valuables, spit on their floor or break their windows or not even dare demand to be the first to hit the piñata.
Those were the values that my parents instilled in me. I know for a fact that Mexican people have very strong family values and traditions, so it bothers me to see parents supporting negative actions by their children. Protesting, demonstrating and assembling is perfectly within their rights, but as the movie "Walkout" demonstrated, it can all be done peacefully and intelligently planned.
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Judi "J.Rod" Rodriguez lives in Brownsville. - Article at: http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/opinions_more.php?id=70439_0_11_0_C
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