Immigration and naturalization laws are a hot button issue in this country right now, and a week ago I was proud to say that I didn't care much about this problem and wanted to leave it to the avids to sort out. However, after hearing an earnest perspective on the matter from a dear friend (who happens to be a Latino permanent resident), I feel compelled to choose sides as both a sympathizer and as an American citizen.

When I say "choose sides," I don't mean in the readical sense--I'm not saying that the floodgates should be opened and that immigrants should be allowed to inundate our economy. Nor am I saying that we should keep a terribly tight rein on our borders, send six thousand National Guard to surveil or to start deporting people left and right. But I feel that I have to take at least a conditional stand so that I don't remain apathetic to issues that will become a major part of my life.



Firstly, I say that as US citizens, it's easy for us to forget that our lineage heralds from immigrants who came (or were brought) to this country and were eventually extended the semblance of opportunity in a land where "the streets are paved with gold." Everyone was searching for something in a country that became a land of opportunity. Hell, we are the land of opportunity because anyone theoretically could have come to America and become a new person, turn a new leaf (as much as Social Darwinism and one's own personal drive would allow).

At the same time, I know a lot of us who are "native Americans" can be quite selfish about out heritage--an American life is what we know, despite our variance in ancestry, and some feel threatened by the fact that we're allowing foreign people to come in and purportedly disrespect the slow but steady right to American nationality we've built. This is because, despite being Americans, we're still tessellated--people like to say this country is a melting pot, which implies an amalgamation of many cultures. But we're more of a tiled mosaic--each ostensibly adds to the bigger picture of American culture, but there is still a crack, a linear separation that distinguishes each tile from another.

But America is still America, which means everyone who lives here and who comes here have to accept two portions of each side: we are America because we are diverse, whether we like that or not. We are unique in that we have so many cultural mosaic tiles, but everyone is allowed to affix "-American" to their ancestry and proudly do so.

My main issue is with people who take this for granted. Citizenship to any country is a privilege, not a right. Naturalized citizens who were not born in any given country worked damn hard to gain status in their country, and as a result their children/grandchildren get to enjoy the privileges of said citizenship. So I applaud people who come to this country for a better life and realize that citizenship is not to be taken lightly, nor are its perks.

But not everyone feels they have this luxury, and not everyone regards the fact that our forefathers worked extremely hard to be a part of this country so that we could sit pretty with all the American amenities. I feel for people who need to take refuge from poverty in their own countries; at the same time, I don't feel it fair when people only want to take advantage of American rights without wanting to put the same effort into becoming citizens.

At the same time, though, I think it's terribly unpatriotic (and oh, how I hate how that word has been sullied in the past few years, but I will use it anyway) of Americans who complain about how illegal immigrants are "taking jobs from Americans." This is not true, because there are actually underhanded, cheap-ass companies who provide these positions fully knowing that Americans won't take them. They're exploiting immigrants who want to make an honest effort to settle in this country as well as abetting those who simply want to leech off our economy without repercussion. I say it's up to us to not allow this to happen: hold these businesses accountable for human rights violations for the sake of turning out extra profit.

And I don't see a big problem with people who are not quite willing to relinquish their natural citizenship to another country to be allowed to live and work on a guest basis as long as they are provided with legitimate jobs and not allowed to take advantage of the privilege (think of a houseguest who says they'll stay for a week but ends up living on your couch for a month, when you promised another friend they could stay during that time).

I also don't see a problem with allowing bilingual signs in an area that is densely populated by ethnic groups who speak a certain language, as long as this population is not taking advantage of their stay in this country. If I spoke English and grew up in a Cantonese household in Chinatown, I'd think it great to have my culture reflected in my neightborhood. But those who want to stay and work in this country also need to give of themselves by learning conversational English at the least. For instance, if I went over to France, no one would give me the time of day if I attempted to speak in English all the time and expected to be catered to in English. On the other side, I think those of us Americans who speak English well need to be more patient with those who may not be quite as fluent yet, but are trying to communicate with us. I'd feel discouraged if people constantly said to me, "Go learn to speak English"--why would I want to assimilate to such an unforgiving culture? (This is one reason why I am staying away from France; despite one's best efforts, the French are a prideful people and don't take kindly to anyone butchering their native tongue).

As an American citizen, I have my own rights I want to protect. When people become defensive, it's hard for them to sound compassionate and sensitive. But I really do feel that America needs growth everyday. We need to maintain, despite our soiled image, the promise that anyone can come here, work hard, and be accepted as an American.