Immigration...it's a tough subject to talk about as it brings very harsh feelings on both sides of the table. It's difficult for me to talk about, but I believe there needs to be more pertinent information out there. The media distorts it, the left says it's a race issue, the right a security issue, but it is not a black-and-white issue. There are so many shades of grey, many of them sitting next to your children at school, church, or on the playground.
It is hardest for me because I am a Patriot. I love America and everything it stands for. As a daughter of a legal immigrant and a Retired USN Sailor I fly my flag with pride. I also understand heritage and not forgetting what(and often who) was left behind. I understand that our country is vulnerable (though not for reasons the government would have you believe) and we don't want another 9/11. There are steps that do need to be taken, and there is also overkill. I believe there need to be laws and those laws need to be obeyed. But there also needs to be mercy.
I married a man who came here legally, but was not legal when we married. I did not marry him for that reason, I married him because he was (and still is) a great man of God who would sacrifice a great many things to provide for his family(both here and in el Salvador). My husband did not receive his "papers" because he married me. Contrary to popular opinion, marrying a US citizen does not magically give you a green card. It doesn't even give you a visa to visit. They say there is one available for the spouse of US citizens, but (there's always a but) only if you meet certain requirements. It's a gamble. If you came into this country without an I-94 (also known as an entry visa) then you are required to return to your country of origin to receive your visa. You are almost always denied the first time(go figure) but then with the second you might get it. Sometimes, however, you get an ambassador's aide who is having a bad day and says no to everyone. This is what happened to my in-laws. We tried the legal route to bring them here for our wedding, even going so far as to have my father sponser them during their visit. They were both denied. 
US Embassy San Salvador
The only reason my husband was able to work here during the six years it took for him to get a permanent resident card due to our marriage is because of an earthquake that occurred 11 months before we were married. We were married almost a year before he received permission to work and therefore to get a drivers' license. I remember getting up to drive him 40 miles round trip to work before being in class at 8. Yep, we were definitely honeymooners! To date, El Salvador is one of only Eight countries granted TPS, and this is given only to those who were on American soil when a government-approved disaster occurred in their home country.
Immigration is a mess. Changing the name didn't help. Don't get me wrong. I am thankful for and pray for the border patrol agents we have working and risking their lives to keep us safe. I just truly believe that if you are following the laws of the land and keeping your nose clean, why shouldn't you be welcome? Why not go after the drug dealers and murderers and those caught while DUI? Why go after the group of hardworking men and women who bother no one but those who are too lazy to try to get and do the same job? Now I know there are those of you legalists that say that the law was broken when they came here in the first place and that is true. You can see why this is a difficult issue for me as a Christian and an American. To see friends struggle to provide with the threat of deportation over their heads.
One friend came to the US with her two sons, through the desert. One of her sons has Down's syndrome. She came because she knew this was the best place for him. In her country he would never have a chance to go to school. He would never be self-sufficient. He would sit at home all day with no positive development or, worse, be put in an asylum. She would never have learned to reach him as she was taught here in the US. She doesn't receive Medicaid for him. She has worked hard during her time here and has said that she has no regrets for the sacrifices she made to provide her son with the best she could. Too bad some of what she provided wasn't her's to offer.
I hear stories of people who came to this country illegally that would make you cry. I hear about families being torn apart because dad is illegal and mom isn't. Or because Mom and Dad are illegal and little Juan isn't. One lady in our church will finally get her papers, but only because her husband died at the hands of an American. Another won't get his(easily anyway, we are praying for a miracle) because he was caught at the border and released, then they sent his court date to the wrong address. He has been married for the last 8 years to an American Citizen. They have two children. If he is caught, he gets mandatory deportation with refusal to return for 10 years. They are working to overturn this, but who knows? It's in God's hands. I could go on and on, which I am sure you are thinking I already am. I got yelled at on facebook the other day that if it were my house that got broken into or my family that was killed, I would feel differently. I don't think so, but maybe I would...but no more than if it were a US citizen. Evil is evil, no matter what country it is from.
No comments:
Post a Comment