The action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. That is the definition of Immigration according to The Oxford College Dictionary. It does not seem that difficult. But in America, immigration is a trigger word of sorts. It can bring emotions to the surface that are deeply rooted in sentiments that are not always understood.
The first problem I think is we only use the word Immigration. Here is the second. Only using the term illegal immigration. Let me simplify. The action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. That is what immigration is. Nothing more. Nothing less. What is illegal immigration? Illegal is defined as contrary to or forbidden by law. If you put the two words together you can define the term like this: Illegal Immigration, the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country in a way that is contrary to or forbidden by laws of said country.
OK, good. Hopefully we have that defined now. Because Immigration is not a bunch of Mexicans trying to get in here illegally, its, the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country. Regardless of race. The same is true of Illegal immigration. It's the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country in a way that is contrary to or forbidden by laws of said country. Regardless of race.
I am repeating myself for a reason. As far as I can tell, people are using the wrong definitions. I am trying to use the right ones. For example, supporters of building a wall on our southern border view immigration as illegal immigration and a national security problem. Those that oppose the wall view illegal immigration as immigration and as a humanitarian rights issue. Now these are broad observations and I will admit to that, but these are the prevailing arguments at the moment. Neither argument defines immigration or illegal immigration for what they are. Both are redefining the issue to make it a political one. Now that is a truly American thing to do.
The question then arises can we actually talk about the issue at hand and not the political ideology. Let me simplify the argument. Can we make the process of immigration, the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country, an easier process that allows families to stay together and that vets for potential national security threats, or even local threats?
In laymen’s terms, can we sift the bad guys from the good guys? Now here is a real problem. Because a blanket policy does not help either side. Surely the Left does not want to allow everyone in including potential and known threats using the guise of human rights. And the Right certainly wouldn’t want to leave every person out including bright minds that come here and pioneer some of the best advancements in the fields of technology, medicine and others.
Well, we have something we can agree on. Some folks need to be let in, some folks need to be left out. Well isn’t that the point of it all anyway? In both of the current arguments by the left and the right the carriage has been placed before the horse. That is, we are talking about either a blockade of sorts that leaves out people who need to enter America desperately in order to help pull them out of poverty or an open arms policy that will let everyone in. The former being unsympathetic to say the least the latter naive.
Now, I was asked to write on this subject by someone that is dear to me. And the word racism was used. That is to say that immigration has become, in some ways, a racial issue. And that is true, in that it has certainly been made to be about racism. I would like to tackle that here for a moment.
Racism at its core is a belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities that are specific to that race. Again, the Oxford Dictionary mentioned above helps in the definition here. Now this next statement may seem controversial, but that definition, by itself does not implicate hate. While it may be wrong or misguided, not all people that are wrong or misguided are people that also hate.
This is crucial to understanding how racism works in America and how it gets politicized. That racism is a belief points to the real fact that humans are susceptible to belief systems, even if those belief systems are irrational. Mind you, this does not give license to the out workings of irrational belief systems. It does emphasize that at different levels of society people are susceptible to believe them.
When we talk about immigration and racism it's almost always presented as an act of hate. This does not help the situation. Using racism and hate as definitions for the opposition is dishonest and in my opinion part of the problem we face with Immigration. Now let’s complete the definition of racism. Again, I defer to The Oxford College Dictionary: "so as to distinguish it (the race) as inferior or superior to another race or races." Now we get more specific.
The belief that intrinsic characteristics or abilities are particular to each race brings about the false conclusion that a value can then be assigned to race making some inferior and others superior. Now hate is not involved in this definition either. Racism is a belief system that at its core is severely misguided and completely wrong in its premise.
What creates hate is that a person who adheres to such a belief system, would in living it out, act in such a way that violates the true intrinsic value of another person of a different race. Some people that have done this, seeing the out workings of their deeds are disgusted and turn away from such a reprehensible belief system. While others that do the same are encouraged by the false sense of superiority and in deliberate practice then turn to hate and shunning all races not his own.
Again, what we have done is taken to defining things as we would seem fit. Those that are racially motivated to create immigration laws are clearly wrong. And while there is certainly a segment of racists people that would revel gleefully if a wall were built, we are wrong to believe that enacting or upholding the law as it pertains to immigration is itself an undertone of racism.
In America racism is all too often a label given to whites and white men in particular. Does this exempt all other races from being racist? Are we saying that America has a race problem within the white race alone? If so, that is one form of racism. (Read the definition again.)
Are we saying that blacks, browns, reds and yellows have never been guilty of racism as well? The obvious answer is no. And to add any pretense to that answer would be irresponsible. One form of racism is not more justified than another. It's a problem.
What is the real immigration debate that we have in this country? If I had to take a guess, I would say that we have been influenced to politicize an issue that at its root is more about having a sensible Immigration policy that allows people from other countries to have access to America like our ancestors did. And that, at the same time, is strong enough to protect us from threats that can harm Americans.
The wall itself? Well that may be a more fiscal issue more than anything else. A wall at the border may increase security and help stem illegal border crossings in some sections but perhaps not all. However, if we ended up with a wall at some eventual point in the future it would not be the worst thing, except for the massive debt it may create. But to call the wall a form of racism or hatred is political speak that creates more of the incendiary atmosphere its proponents claim to be trying to prevent.
Let me share a story that comes to mind.
About a year or so ago I got pulled over by a Deputy Sheriff while driving from Fort Smith to Rogers in Arkansas. I was driving my Mercedes-Benz, and was training two people that day, a white man and white woman. We will call them Mike and Mary. It was raining lightly when I was pulled over and one of the deputies came up on the passenger side lighting up the car with his flashlight.
It was dark, and we were heading home for the night. Before I was pulled over, I had passed up some police cars on the side of road with bright lights illumining the road. There seemed to be some construction going on but I wasn't sure. I had slowed down considerably with the rest of traffic around me. As I drove by, I caught a glimpse of a deputy, and we made eye contact. I thought nothing of it until I saw him move rather quickly and jump into his cruiser. I knew instantly I was getting pulled over. Sure enough the trooper came up behind me and flicked on the lights. As I sat there in my car, I was respectful as I had learned as a kid.
"Good evening Mr. Officer." I said but with some questioning in my voice.
The next words caught me off guard.
"Please step out of the vehicle and walk to the rear" the deputy was serious and did not return my smile.
Admittedly, I was a bit nervous at this point but also, I was getting angry. I felt like I was being racially targeted. I am of Puerto Rican descent and sport a beard with a pony tail. I've gotten the looks before. I walked to the back of my car and both deputies had their right hand resting on their gun. I am only 5ft 8in but I felt like I was a little taller than both of them, I'm also solidly built at over 300lbs and their eyes were looking me over almost thinking out loud, "how are we going to put this big boy down?"
I was thinking, "oh, man I hope I don't end up on the news, I could see the headlines now: Hispanic man shot by white officers after traffic stop." The deputy with the flashlight was looking at my paperwork which I had with me. He kept asking me if the car was mine. Of course, I felt insulted, thinking to myself, "What? A Puerto Rican man can't have a nice car?" After about five time of him asking me, I snapped at him.
"Officer, you have my registration, you have my driver's license, the names match, the car's make and model match and that is my face on the picture. Why did you all pull me over." I don't think they noticed but I almost instantly regretted the outburst.
At that point I was expecting one of them to draw their gun and ask me to get on the ground. But the officer replied.
"Your tag is partially not visible." He did not look at me when he said it.
I had the original license plate frame that came with the car, which by the way is still on the car today, and it barely covered the top of the state name. Think of the word Arkansas with the word partially cut off, kind of like the old Polaroid's cutting you off at the forehead. Readable but on a technicality partially covered. The deputy asked me to stay there and went to talk with the trainees in my car, Mike and Mary. The other deputy looked at me and said.
"Why are you dressed in a suit?"
I was frank with him.
"I work with (we'll call it Johnson Financial) funny enough, we actually work with the FOP."
He looked at me curiously. FOP stands for Fraternal Order of Police. Then I remembered the name of one of the Police Chiefs that was a client. I asked him,
"Do you know Chief Jones?" (Not his real name).
He looked at me and without saying a word I knew he did. The other deputy came back and said,
"You can go, but remember that when passing emergency vehicles, you need to slow down."
I couldn't help myself.
"Actually, I did" I retorted and got back in my car.
I was fuming, I was able to keep my cool but I cussed up a storm in the car. I looked at Mike and Mary,
"Can you believe these guys?"
Mike looked at me and said,
"That's racism man, he came over here to ask us if we were OK and if we were in the car against our own will, I think he thought you were a drug trafficker. I mean you have that pony tail and beard."
"So, I look like a drug dealer?" I was mad but how Mike said it made me want to laugh a little.
Mike said, "Yeah kind of."
I still laugh at that today. But I still sport my beard and pony tail. Why do I say this story? That was the first time in my life that I really felt some sort of racism towards me. I have been in trouble before, especially as a teenager but I never thought I was being targeted for racism. But as a grown business man, I knew that I was not a bad guy.
Now before I call the two deputies racist, I'll have to admit that some other possibilities could have been the case. Perhaps I fit a description, or my car did. Perhaps they have seen some Spanish drug dealers use that route before and followed their instinct. Or they were racially motivated. Here is my point. If I now say all white cops are racist, I may have to look in the mirror. Because perhaps, I have some feelings of superiority of my own.
Here is what I believe. The progress made in this country by minorities has come not from a violent or insolent way of thinking or a backwards kind of racism. It has come because men and women had a passion to make something of themselves and decided to not let anything including racism get in their way.
But are we to now turn all kinds of obstacles into racially motivated schemes by the all evil white man? This concerns me specifically because at some level I believe that I confronted more racism than I thought, perhaps I was stereotyped more times than I care to count, but I never focused on that. I moved forward believing that I could make something better of myself. And I have. And so, it scares me that we live in a society that is so quick to accuse others of racism.
What do we do with some folks whose Immigration stance is viewed through the lens of racism? I think first we have to meet their racism with a question. When a person claims that one race is better than another, ask them why? Ask them expecting a real answer. One that they actually have thought out and can explain.
You will find that most people parrot what they have already heard and if you can let them see the errors of their ways then you might be able to dialogue with them. But a screaming match helps no one. But here is the biggest thing that stops so much of the conversation. We need to stop taking our personal experiences and projecting them on others.
I know that white cops have in fact shot young black men. I have seen the videos and read the stories. But while we can decry the violence, we must not judge the masses. The unfortunate reality is that when you do step in the middle you increase your chances of getting trampled over the melee of words and at times the real violence that spills over.
The real bridge is not one that will replace a wall in the southern border. It's the one that can heal this country at its root. A bridge that can get us closer to what we all have in common. That is our humanity. Beating down your domestic brother to help your foreign brother is not the solution. And placing your domestic brother on a pedestal higher than your foreign brother is a perilous solution as well.
Let’s keep the definition of Immigration clear and let's not be so quick to defend our own talking point, whatever that may be. We don't need inclusive borders. We need borders that are exclusive. Borders that exist to be the demarcation point between hope and despair. Exclusive enough that it compels those that desire to cross it, to take charge of their own resolve and do what is right, so that once in, the despair does not turn into fear. We don't need secure borders. We need safe borders that shine bright as a beacon of opportunity to those that seek a new beginning and stand strong against enemies that look to infiltrate with a purposeful malice.
I hope that we can figure it out sooner than later that at its core Immigration is not about stopping people from coming in or welcoming them in. Immigration should stand as a constant reminder that America still stands as the land of the free and the home of the brave.
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