They are my neighbors and friends
9/11 happened and all of sudden my status as a green card holder was called into question. I was lumped in with 'undocumented' people who had become a threat to society While the color of my skin made me less threatening, Jim and I decided for me to become a citizen of the USA. It was not an easy decision, my roots were in Germany, and I was going to lose any benefits from that country. We were planning to still live in restricted countries that made entry with a German passport easier. We saw no
hurry for this move, but it became clear that it was necessary. It was an easy (way too easy!) process to change my green card to a US passport, and I am thankful for the opportunity.
There has been so much talk about immigration issues, and I understand that we need to have policies and procedures in place that govern this country, but what is happening now is breaking my heart. Many of our friends and neighbors don't have it as easy as I did. For them, there is currently no easy process to become 'legal' in country.
They came out of desperation, out of love for their children to provide a better life. They came despite
the fears that came with it. They, like most parents, made sacrifices to ensure that their children had a
chance for a better life. But they did not imagine that their children are now the ones suffering, either because they live in the constant fear that they could come home from school and their parents are
gone, or that their DACA status runs out and they have to go a country that they don't even know.
While I believe we need to have a strong immigration policy, what is happening right now is heartbreaking and wrong. Families who have lived here as good neighbors, who have worked and
contributed to society, are being punished for the few who came with ill intentions. We have to have a
better way of keeping our, now law abiding, families together and in part running our economy, while we deport the people who violate the rules of the country. (Yes, I know they have initially broken the
law, but reality is, you and I would have done the same in those circumstances).
I want to be part of the solution; I want my friends to have a way to become 'legal' without having to
leave the country for 10 years or spend tens of thousands of dollars. I want to not have to look into the desperate eyes of moms who don't know if they will see their spouses or children again. I want too not
have to see the deep sadness and fear in the children's eyes. They are our neighbors in the communities
we live and work. They are the children who come to your son's birthday party. They are the men who put the new roof on your house, bagged your groceries, grew the vegetables that you eat, and milked
the cows who give you butter. They are my neighbors and friends. PS. We just finished the Christmas
season and I believe we all know an immigrant who ended up saving the world.