“My Grandparents Came Here Legally” And Other Arguments That Don’t Justify Attacks On Undocumented Immigrants

The privilege to immigrate to a nation legally does not grant anyone the right to shame those without that privilege

Immigrant children. Photo by The Grio. The story this picture was featured on deserves a read, too.

The topic of immigration in the United States has always been controversial. Politicians, public figures and the people at large have all different opinions on who should be able to move permanently to the country. These opinions have made their way into current immigration policy, which can easily be found in the internet at the State Department website. A person is able to become a documented permanent resident of the United States by following these steps:

1. First, a petition must be filed. A current United States citizen, permanent resident or employer must sponsor the person filing the petition.
2. If the petition is approved, the person must begin the National Visa Center processing. This means completing six steps: choosing an agent, paying processing fees, submitting a visa application form, collecting financial documents, collecting supporting documents and submitting those documents to the National Visa Center.
3. Lastly, one must schedule a medical examination and interview.

This process can take several months and can pose a significant financial and logistical challenge for aspiring immigrants. Many will seek the assistance of an expert, such as an immigration lawyer, to help with this process.

If the process of immigrating legally is challenging enough for people who have the resources to go through it (those who know a sponsor, have funds for the processing fees and trips to the consulate and know where to seek assistance if needed), for people of lower socioeconomic status — who hope to escape not only extreme poverty but also unbearable violence — it is not feasible. These people decide instead to risk their lives and those of their loved ones in a long, dangerous journey to the U.S. border. They are often vulnerable to scams and attacks by human traffickers who promise them safe entry to the US. A simple online search will reveal some of the horrors and hardships Central American and Mexican immigrants go through while trying to reach their destination.

Knowing this, how could someone possibly expect an aspiring immigrant to do it “the right way”? Furthermore, many newcomers are not necessarily looking to become economic immigrants but are seeking asylum because the violence in their home countries doesn’t allow them to even survive there. If they stay, they are forced to join gangs that partake in criminal activities. In a situation like that, people aren’t exactly thinking of following laws and regulations. Their mind is only focused on surviving and assuring a peaceful future for their relatives.

People citing their immigrant relatives from three or more generations ago should remember that at one point immigrating to the United States required far less bureaucracy . Additionally, in the nineteenth and twenty centuries policies were enacted to actively exclude and discourage people of color from immigrating. People whose relatives immigrated from Europe should keep in mind the privilege afforded to their ancestors over Chinese, Indian, Filipino and Japanese people at different points in history.

Even recent immigrants who successfully obtained legal residency should keep in mind the ways in which their situation differs from that of undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers today. Having access to the financial and logistical resources needed for immigrating is truly a blessing many don’t have access to. Furthermore, legal immigrants’ former places of residence may not have been frequently attacked by criminal groups. That certainly could stop someone from even considering taking the time to go through the process of obtaining a visa. As I stated earlier, some people are just looking to get to a safe place to live no matter what.

The anger directed at undocumented immigrants from some legal immigrants and their descendants becomes even more absurd if we consider that undocumented immigrants (unfortunately) do not have the same opportunities as them. They live in fear of being targeted by ICE, can’t be hired in most places in the formal sector and many, especially before DACA, shied away from continuing their studies. Their plight continues after they cross the border, as they adjust to a society that often criminalizes their own existence and berates their culture.

Ultimately, there is an abundance of information about the plight of undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers in the internet that people secure in their anti-immigrant stance choose to ignore. This feigning of ignorance and purposeful lack of empathy are techniques used by xenophobes to dismiss altogether the human suffering we are witnessing today at the United States border, where children were being separated from their asylum-seeking parents and abused in other ways. We should not let people get away with this. We have facts and arguments to back up why it is morally reprehensible to abuse marginalized peoples, including undocumented immigrants on both sides of the border.