What Are All These People Doing Here?
The land and its borders are meant to make us know whose team we’re on. Not so much to divide us but to tell us who our allies are. There is clear proof and no denying that this land was taken from the Native American who was living here. Just because you conquer something doesn’t mean you can own its essence. At a time when so many Americans are proud to complain about the effects of immigration on their day to day life, it may also be a moment for us to consider how it is we got here.
Not including Natives who were already living here when the first wave of pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock, most of the population that makes up the United States populous comes as a result of migration. “…from around 1600… British and other Europeans settled primarily on the east coast. Later Africans were imported as slaves. The United States experienced successive waves of immigration, particularly from Europe. [It was] the first and longest era of immigration, lasting until the American Revolution in 1775; during this time settlements grew from initial English toe-holds from the New World to British America. It brought Northern European immigrants, primarily of British, German, and Dutch extraction. The British ruled from the mid-17th century and they were by far the largest group of arrivals, remaining within the British Empire. Over 90% of these early immigrants became farmers.[1] ” [1](WIKIPEDIA, 2018)
This February Tucker Carlson a political commentator on Fox News tweeted: “There are more immigrants in our country right now than any other time. Is the country more united? Stronger? Just the opposite & everyone knows it. Maybe that’s bc our elites welcome immigrants by telling them how flawed America is and how bigoted its native population #Tucker” [2](Valverde, 2018) The first and most obvious question for Tucker would be: Which Natives are you speaking of? Is it those who were living here when European “settlers” happened upon the place? Or, is it the conqueror that set up their home and new life here in the hopes of giving more to their families and building a legacy? One of these so called Natives should be careful on the judgment they pass on others for fear that judgment may be passed upon them.
That being said, what Tucker says is correct, “…the number of immigrants in the United States is the highest it’s ever been. But it’s worth mentioning that 1890 holds the record for the highest percentage of immigrants as a share of the population. The total U.S. population in 1890 was about 63 million, and immigrants accounted for an estimated 14.8 percent. The total population in 2016 was about 323 million, which means about 13.5 percent were immigrants.”[3] (Valverde, 2018) This means that while white Americans still remain the majority in the US, the number of immigrants in the US is almost equal to the number of African Americans living in the US. I wonder if they feel like the majority of this country wants to oppress them and keep them down?
While the current administration claims to be attacking immigrants who they deem to be a threat or illegal, many legal immigrants are feeling the pressures of being ostracized and marginalized. “In general, one of the frustrations that many of the legal immigrants have in the United States is they feel like their contributions, their hard work is not being acknowledged and they’re being viewed in rhetoric that’s either a security risk or an economic drain on the society, when there’s many people who can say, ‘Wait a minute, I’m a doctor, I’m a researcher, I’m a developer, why would I be lumped in with security risks and economic drains?'” said Leon Fresco, a former Obama administration Justice Department official who now represents one of the groups advocating on the backlog issue.”[4] (Kopan, 2018)
Immigrants who are legally living in the US feel as though all forms of legal immigration are now under siege, “…concerns are wide-ranging: Legal immigrants who came to the US as children but waited upwards of a decade before their family could get a green card — only to be too old to count as immediate family. High-skilled immigrants who have had their visas continually renewed as they wait for a green card who now face new scrutiny. Employers who are worried about being able to hire the temporary seasonal workers they have in the past. Immigrants who feel the administration considers all foreigners a threat.”[5] (Kopan, 2018) In the words of one attorney working with immigrants “As lawyers, we can’t even make our clients feel OK, because we don’t have certainty, we don’t know, because never before has this been seen. This is crazy, what’s happening” [6](Kopan, 2018)
The numbers show that there are more immigrants living in the United States than at any other time. This means that the questions remain: Are the land and its borders being used to strengthen the team or to divide the players? When will we shift our mindset to something that unites us and make us stronger rather than make this a point of division? And finally; How can we make natives close and far be proud of a place that affords people shelter from a wary world and a home that is willing to help build them up rather than one that is excited to keep them down?
[1] WIKIPEDIA (March 11th, 2018) History of immigration to the United States http://bit.ly/236mMpa
[2] Valverde, Miriam (February 13th, 2018) Tucker Carlson claims more immigrants now in the United States than any other time. Is that true? http://bit.ly/2BsYhhf
[3] Valverde, Miriam (February 13th, 2018) Tucker Carlson claims more immigrants now in the United States than any other time. Is that true? http://bit.ly/2BsYhhf
[4] Kopan, Tal (March 7th, 2018) Legal immigrants to the US wonder: Amid DACA attention, what about us? http://cnn.it/2DbM2To
[5] Kopan, Tal (March 7th, 2018) Legal immigrants to the US wonder: Amid DACA attention, what about us? http://cnn.it/2DbM2To
[6] Kopan, Tal (March 7th, 2018) Legal immigrants to the US wonder: Amid DACA attention, what about us? http://cnn.it/2DbM2To
