America, the land of opportunity. Etched under the Statue of Liberty are the words of Emma Lazarus:
“…. Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
The poem, written in 1883, welcomed immigrants, wave after wave, to American shores armed with an unshakable belief that in America, anything was possible. America is a land of misfits, those who didn’t fit religious, political, or economic situations abroad. The United States population is a patchwork tapestry of many nationalities and races. Almost every American can trace their roots to some other shore. This is the beauty of America, a beauty that has proven an inspiration to those seeking a better future.
Our faith in the concept of the “American Dream” is imprinted on our collective psyche with as much permanence as Lazarus’ poem. American has traditionally been a beacon of hope and a haven of freedom and opportunity. Armed with an idea and determination, every single person in America has the chance to succeed. That, at least, is the underlying myth.
America is a land of immigrants, but its history of immigration is not all pretty. Europeans forced their presence upon indigenous Native Americans—then bought African immigrants work as slaves in fieldwork and the building of the growing country. A millennium earlier, Native Americans had themselves come across the Bering Sea in one or more waves of immigrants.
From the 17th century on, prejudice and struggles rose among competing European groups: English, Spanish, French and Dutch. Over time, waves of German-speaking, Irish Catholics, Jewish, and slightly darker-skinned Mediterranean immigrants would face various kinds of discrimination from the more established British Protestants.
Immigration was, and continues to be, a crucial issue in America. The issue hits on several fronts. The labor department warns about the impact of deportation on jobs. Law enforcement points to the impact that granting citizenship might have on focusing their investigations on dangerous immigrants. Some religious institutions and leaders have argued for moral treatment of illegal immigrants and compassion on “aliens and sojourners” (biblical terms). Taxation, health care, and election results are each impacted by immigration policy. How much money should be spent by the federal government beefing up security along the border with Mexico?
One side of the Immigration Debate worries about taking jobs away from those already unemployed in the U.S. and about the swelling of a welfare-entitled lower class attracted to politicians who promise provision—as well as an increased influx of criminal activity. The other side claims humanitarian concern and argues that immigrants are needed to take jobs no one else wants—and that, in turn, they boost the economy through purchases and taxes, and in some cases creating new businesses.
The U.S. immigration crisis of 2014 centered on the influx of some 90,000 children. At first, this was attributed to the violence and rape of children by gangs in their home countries—especially Honduras and Mexico. But it became evident that the main factor behind this influx was the activity of “coyotes,” or smugglers, who received money through advertising their services and intentionally misinterpreting President Obama’s attempts at immigration reform. “The U.S. is now promising asylum and free education to children,” these human smugglers were promising poor parents and children themselves.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
How do you react to the idealistic words on the Statue of Liberty?
How do you see significant contexts of immigration changing through historic periods? How different were the Spanish and British settlers in the “New World” from Africans seeking European entry or Latinos(as) trying to get into the U.S. any way they can today?
What is your general perspective and opinions about immigration today?
What interests you in this issue and how willing are you to study it further?
As news reports sensationalize and politicians wrangle, what can we do about this challenge?
Political controversies and deadlock regarding immigration into the U.S. involve other broader and often ignored issues. The U.S. and all countries are responsible for their own national welfare but are also part of a global community. We can neither succumb to nor avoid globalization on all manner of levels.
The gap between rich and poor nations and the growing gap between the rich and the poor raise issues of justice along with practical strategies for relief and development. It is desperate parents and people that are risking life and limb and who endure tortuous journeys to escape poverty and find possible betterment for themselves—and especially their families.
The U.S. gives some $50 billion dollars of aid a year to foreign countries—most of which goes into the military of these nations or into the pockets of the elite. After WWII, U.S. aid to Europe and Germany (The Marshall Plan) and to Japan stabilized world politics and diminished emigration exodus from those countries. The U.S. has given more than $18 billion to Pakistan since 9/11. Much of that has gone into arming the Taliban, as it fights the U.S. and Afghan forces—and even to protect Osama bin Laden for a time. With all this in mind, consider what the U.S. might have done, and still might do, to alleviate Latin American poverty. Positive prevention will always work better and more economically than incarceration and deportation—though such may be necessary.
Those of biblical faith might be reminded of God’s words to Moses about remembering that the Hebrews were once immigrants, sojourners and aliens themselves. (Exodus 22:21) In one way or another, all we human beings were aliens and sojourners blessed by God. Having become secure and comfortable it is important to hold in balance a realistic sense of nationalistic interests with compassion for those who suffer.