The Hill (Op-Ed)
By Teresa Puente
August 11, 2015
My great grandfather crossed the border from Mexico into Texas at a time when you didn't need a green card. That was 1890.
He
became a deputy sheriff in Carrizo Springs, Texas, and was killed in
the line of duty in 1913. He died in a conflict with men attempting to
smuggle guns from Texas
to Mexico.
My
stepfather came in the 1950s from Michoacan, Mexico. He rode the trains
to get here and worked in the fields and later in factories. He played
mariachi music at nights
and weekends in Chicago with one of the first mariachi groups in the
city.
He was undocumented for a time, and through a legal process not available to most immigrants today, became a U.S. citizen.
Their
children and grandchildren include college graduates, police officers,
teachers, nurses, non-profit leaders, business professionals and more.
There are millions of Mexican families with stories like ours.
Donald Trump took pride in Thursday night’s debate that he is making “illegal immigration” a campaign issue.
But
the problem is that many of his comments demonize Mexicans and play
into the false narrative that we, and by association all Latinos, are
undocumented, criminals or
worse.
And
they also distort the facts that unauthorized immigration is a
worsening problem when the numbers have not risen in the last five
years, according to PEW Research.
All this contributes to a real climate of discrimination that many Latinos face on a daily basis.
In
some parts of Texas, officials are denying birth certificates to
U.S.-born children who have undocumented parents. This is
unconstitutional.
The deaths of Latinos at the hands of police has received far less attention from California to Washington state to Texas.
The discrimination also can take more subtle forms. Our citizenship or birthplace may be questioned.
"Where are you from?" This is a question I and other Latinos have faced many times.
When I explain that I was born in Chicago, several people have expressed shock.
In fact around 65 percent, or 35 million of the 54 million Latinos in the U.S. were born here, according to PEW Hispanic.
Around half of the estimated 11 million undocumented in the U.S. are Mexican.
Trump ignores that there are significant numbers of Poles, Irish and Filipinos who are undocumented in the U.S.
Latinos
are often criticized for speaking Spanish, like a family recently
refused a discount on theater tickets in Branson, Missouri. A California
woman also was berated
by a white woman because she spoke Spanish at an IHOP. The video of the
incident went viral and had more than 15 million views on Facebook.
Two-thirds
of Latinos are proficient in English. Some, like my mom, born in Texas,
and stepfather, speak Spanish more than English because it keeps them
close to their
culture. But they are both bilingual and U.S. citizens.
There
also is this falsehood out there that most Latinos take more than they
contribute to this country. And that we are a threat to the American way
of life.
There are more than 3 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the U.S.
The number of Hispanics enrolled in college has more than tripled since 1993.
Even the undocumented contribute to the economy paying more than $13 billion a year into Social Security.
Most
of the undocumented have lived in the U.S. a median average of 13
years. Clearly they have roots and pay taxes here. But for most there is
no way to adjust their
immigration status unless Congress passes immigration reform.
The
waiting periods to gain legal status can average 15 to 20 years for
people from Mexico. Due to quotas, most people from other countries
don’t have to wait this long.
Yes, some immigrants have committed crimes, including the recent terrible murder of a young woman in California.
But studies show that immigrants commit less crimes on average.
In fact, Latinos have fought and died for this country dating back to the Civil War.
We need to shift the narrative that Latinos are a threat to the U.S.
While
several Latino leaders and celebrities, including rapper Pitbull and
actress America Ferrera, have called attention to this issue, too many
people remain silent
about the daily insults faced by our community.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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