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by Jennifer Bowman
At first glance of this title, you might be predicting that this article will be a 500 word rant about Mexican immigrants. It's not. In fact, the title is a word I discovered on the Internet, from a website of the same name. I used it to entitle my article because, let's face it, I'm not very good at coming up with headlines.
Not to say that I think we should welcome illegal aliens with open arms. Legal immigrants, who are trying their hardest to become full-fledged citizens, seem to have it worse than those who enter illegally. I have a friend from India who has been in the country for almost five years, and has yet to hear from the horrible bureaucratic system as to the question of his pending request for citizenship. It seems to him that the whole process almost isn't worth it. But bureaucracy seems to ruin everything anyway and it's such a powerful force that I don't know if anyone could control it.
And illegal immigrant entrance is something else that I doubt the American government can really control. There's a whole lot of border between Mexico and the United States, and it would take a lot of money to guard all of it, or put up fences over all of it. Even after that, there's still the saying - "If there's a will, there's a way." Mexicans would still be able to enter the country somehow.
I recently saw a cartoon in which the show highlighted the country's division over the immigration issue. All the states touching the Mexican border were anti-immigration, and the ones that were not were pro-immigration. The cartoon goes to show you that the area which we live in isn't really affected by immigration, and we can't really understand the Southwest's point of view. However, I did live in Texas for a year. There was quite a large Hispanic population, but of course, I wasn't sure how many of them were illegal immigrants, legal immigrants, or citizens. I never really thought about it, and certainly no one talked about it. I had a close friend who lived in my neighborhood that had been born in Mexico and had come over here, and I didn't even think to ask the status of their citizenship. They had jobs, we had jobs, and everyone was fine.
But I think the thing that irritates me the most about the recent protests from illegal immigrants is their strong devotion to Mexico. It makes me sick to see them all waving Mexican flags while they try to claim American rights and American jobs. I hate to sound like a cliché southern bigot, but seriously, if you liked Mexico so much, go back. Otherwise, at least make an attempt to embrace the American culture that you want so much to a part of. I have no problem with people celebrating their heritage - I have an Irish flag in my room - but I'm not trying to force that culture on an entire state.
I really doubt there's a solution to the immigration issue. They do bring up a good point - "There's room for everyone." I'm convinced that yes, there is enough room for them. If they can really embrace the American way, they'll have a much easier time being accepted in this country. If they're willing to work the nastiest jobs that no one else wants, it's their right. America is supposed to be the Melting Pot. We're supposed to welcome those who want freedom and employment. But it takes some time for America to embrace you when you refuse to embrace America. That's been seen over history. When thousands of Irish immigrants first came to America by the boatload, they experienced prejudice by people who thought they were going to take their jobs. But they worked hard, made names for themselves, and eventually were accepted into society. It's pretty much a cycle. I'm sure that this is just another wave of American history.
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