We know a Mexican family with four fine sons. Two were born in the United States; two in Mexico. All four boys have lived here their entire lives save for a year or two when they were babies. Now the two boys – the “Mexican” citizens – have been given two glorious years to live without fear, to have “real” papers, to have real hope for a future in a country they see as their own and to which they want to give back with their hard work and good citizenship. They are exceptional boys – great athletes, students, and sons – and they are part of what makes our country great – people with a dream to better themselves and provide hope and stability for the families they will create. They exemplify the American dream.
The parents of these boys are two of the finest people I’ve met in my life. They, too, are hard-working and decent. People you’d be happy to know as friends and neighbors; people you would entrust you children to because you would know instinctively that they are such good and honest people. And yet, they have lived for years in fear of being discovered and sent back to a country where they can no longer live because there is no economic future for them there. They both work every day, they have taught their sons to work everyday as well, and though they love their native land, they are keenly aware that after so many years here, there is nothing there for them anymore. No job, no home, little to no family. They only wish is to stay in this country and continue to be the good people they are, and to be able to remain near their children who also want and need to stay here.
This family is only one of those 11 million people who have been living this nightmare for too long. It is time to give them the opportunity to openly be counted in the country where they have been living for almost 30 years. Critics will say, “They came here illegally and they need to go back to where they came from.” I would say, “They came here for a better life, which they have accomplished. Let them stay here and contribute their talents to this country, THEIR country.
Each of those four sons of our friends is doing well. One manages a local gym, another is finishing his Bachelor’s degree, another is in school to become a licensed electrician, the last one will graduate from high school next year. Not one of these boys has been or will be a drain on our society. The opposite is actually the case: they will aid and abet our society with their talents, just as their parents have done the entire time that they have lived in the United States. It is time to give them the one gift that they seek: immigration reform so they can finally relax and call this country their home.
We have already begun to severely curtail illegal immigration at our borders. Let’s face as a nation that we have 11 million people who already call the United States their home. Let’s give those who have been law-abiding an eventual path to citizenship so they can continue to contribute to the benefit of our society and also pay taxes on their wages.
We are a country of immigrants. Let’s never forget the hope our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents brought with them to this new land, where they dreamed of a new and better life. Let’s pass along that opportunity to people who want to continue to live in a country that they love. Support immigration reform today and encourage others you know to do the same. It is time for a change and that time is NOW.
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