A Mountainous Task: Addressing Immigration Issues in Substantial Ways

By Miguel Platero Alas / Winter 2021

Growing up in California, I thought that our family was just like any others. My sister and I went to school together, played with the neighborhood kids, and watched cartoons on Sunday mornings. My mother did her best so that my sister and I could live a normal life and tried to provide us with whatever supplies we needed for schoolwork. However, at a very early age, I learned that our family was considered different. We were labeled as immigrants, people from another country. It was because of this minor detail that we were treated differently in the eyes of the law. Some people believed that we should not even be in the United States to begin with.

My mom would always have the news on, but the stories that stuck with me were the ones that talked about the supposed effects that immigrants had on the country. News outlets and politicians claimed that if we continue to allow immigrants to come into the country, it will lead to the end of America as we know it. Immigrants will come in hoards, destroying the economy and the cities they reside within. They will steal American labor and put thousands of citizens out of jobs. The immigrants who come here illegally will bring crime with them. They will help other immigrants come into the country, and the cycle will continue. The media provided this false information to the public, acting as the fuel that helped burn these negative stereotypes into our skin. Before we can discuss the xenophobia and nativism that thrives from this mentality, we must first talk about what drives immigrants to this country. By understanding the issues that fall upon immigrants in their home countries, we can come to see the motivation behind their actions and recognize that their intentions are not properly represented. I cannot provide the background of every Hispanic immigrant that has come to the United States, but I know that the ideas and the incentives of my family’s story echo throughout the immigrant community.

My mother and father were born in the 1960s in rural parts of El Salvador. They were from different pueblos, but in both situations, their families were dirt poor. Every child in the household had to help manage and harvest the small farm they owned, picking assorted fruits and vegetables by the time they were seven. The small profit that my grandparents made maintained the shed they were living in and took care of their seven children (sixteen on my father’s side). While my parents were finishing high school and starting university, the Salvadoran Civil War had broken out. The war began in 1979, and the fighting occurred between guerilla rebels and the Salvadoran government. These rebels received funding from communist countries, and because of this, the United States had provided funding and training to the Salvadoran military. El Salvador became one of the largest U.S counterinsurgency efforts since Vietnam. The world superpowers were fighting proxy wars in Central American countries, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of innocent lives. My mom occasionally talks about the atrocities of the war and how she dodged the fighting on both sides. She knew families that were torn apart by it and how young teens were forced into the war. Although my parents were able to get their degrees and escape the fighting, they wanted to make sure their children would never have to live through similar circumstances.

As the war calmed down, there was a power vacuum in El Salvador because of the weakened government. With no one to oppose them and plenty of weapons left over from the civil war, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang took control of the country. The endless violence continued to affect innocent people. My parents knew that our socio-economic status was only going to get worse and that they needed to decide. They did not want their children to go days without eating or must fear for our lives every time that we stepped outside of the house. They were willing to sacrifice their entire lives just so that my sister and I could have a chance at living a normal one. A few weeks before our planned departure date, my father had passed away in a car accident. Even though I had just turned four, I remember the funeral, and after a couple of days, I remember going to America. Although everyone in the immigrant community has a different backstory, we all share the common need for wanting a better life.

El Salvador was neither the first nor the last Latin American country that had experienced change due to U.S involvement. While these countries may not have been as economically stable as others, U.S imperialism and intervention only worsen their overall condition. The result of this includes years of unnecessary violence and propelling countries into further states of disarray. People were left with very few options to improve their lives. Immigration is one of the only ways that people can increase their chances of survival. Now that we discussed the roots and goals of immigration, we can examine the history of America’s response to immigrants and see the parallels that exist in the modern-day.

In the late 1800s, the United States had experienced a massive influx of Irish and Chinese immigrants. Due to the troubling circumstances in their home counties, many immigrants decided to seek economic opportunities in the United States. These groups were desperate for any source of income. Because of this, many people were exploited for their labor. Companies at the time would hire a massive amount of Irish and Chinese immigrants. The jobs were labor- intensive and did not compensate people fairly for the horrible working conditions. They were deemed too hazardous for Americans, but these immigrants were willing to put their lives on the line for a means of employment. Regardless of their background or work ethic, these immigrants experienced severe stereotypes and backlash from the American public.

Initially, Irish immigrants were described as inferior, lazy, and stupid. Chinese people were viewed as the “yellow peril” sent to ruin America. People would talk about these immigrants and use phrases such as, they are coming to destroy the economy, to steal jobs from hard-working Americans, and to destroy the way of life that we have made. These stereotypes became popularized by the general public. Nativism took control of American mentality, as they swore, they would do anything necessary to protect their way of life. As a result, in 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act had been passed. This law suspended the immigration of Chinese workers to the United States. This legislation would be the first of a kind, as it disincentivized and punished the immigrant of a specific ethnic group. In retrospect, we know that this kind of mentality and the actions that followed were completely wrong. These groups did not assist in the downfall of the United States in any way. Sadly, before this was realized, many immigrants faced horrible treatment and prejudice because of these stereotypes.

Mark Twain says that “History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” The modern reaction towards immigrants coming from Latin American countries resembles the response that the Irish and Chinese immigrants had faced. The negative stereotypes and implications that come with immigration do not accurately reflect the intentions of these people. They are trying to get equal opportunities in life, so they no longer must suffer the horrible conditions that await them in their home countries. Most of the immigrants that come to America do not plan to steal jobs or ruin a community. Immigrants are generally exploited for labor-intensive work. These jobs provide important services to the U.S economy, but many Americans are unwilling to work in horrible conditions for below minimum wage. The system in place uses this to their advantage and can hire immigrants for cheap labor. Time has shown that these nativist and xenophobic responses do not represent the immigrants coming to America. Why do these negative mentalities survive the test of time, and why is it so prevalent in the United States?

Topics can become synonymous with their portrayal in popular media and history textbooks. However, most of the time, these representations only provide one side of the entire story. For example, during the Cold War, the United States intervened in foreign countries at risk of becoming socialist governments. We are taught that we did this to protect American values and to fight against the evil ideology of communism. Evidence regarding Latin America suggests otherwise. The intervention in these countries produced more harm than good, and it destabilized entire regions. Without this knowledge, people may lack the empathy to understand why immigration from these countries has become common. This lack of information can shift a person’s views on a subject. By learning more about it, people are willing to change their initial opinion. In the case of pure ignorance, it is not as easy. Ignorance plays an important role in how nativism and xenophobia are still prevalent in these modern times.

Without the history in these regions, most people will blatantly disregard the factors that lead immigrants to this country. These people have become blinded by the neoconservative myths of immigration. Those in power such as, former President Donald Trump, have given rise to this ideology and the ignorance that accompanies it. Neoconservatism justifies imperialistic politics by stating that they are necessary to protect American political and economic interests. The damage it causes is just a byproduct, and they refuse to take responsibility for it. The politicians that align themselves with this ideology have developed an anti-immigrant stance. They wish to detain and deport all immigrants, regardless of the reason. They have broken the law and are here in the United States illegally. Those who desire to come to America must apply for residency, and they must wait in their country until they have been approved. However, they ignore the fact that the average immigrant must wait multiple years to achieve residency, let alone citizenship. Not to mention, many people who are fleeing oppression do not have this time to spare. They will not wait until their country has been completely revitalized, as the situation can only become direr. As a result of this immigration policy, we are essentially erasing the diversity that is America's foundation. Instead, we are building upon the values of those at the top of the socio-economic pyramid. A portion of society is aware of the issues regarding immigrants and has the power and platform to address these problems, but they are unwilling to act.

Although moderates are not as ignorant of the other side, they are just as harmful to the advancement of immigrants in the United States. These moderates agree with the underlying solutions it will take to solve these issues, but they do not agree with the plan that people have in mind. They will instead try to reason with people who believe in ethnocentrism. Because of this, both parties will stay in a permanent position of disagreement and insufficient action. These people have a surface level understanding of the matter of the situation but lack the experience of being in them. This experience is what gives people a sense of urgency to solve these obstacles that stand in their way. Without it, moderates are more than content being cemented into these positions of disagreement. Moderates and centrists have plagued social movements for years. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr. stated that moderates were the main roadblocks that halted the Civil Rights Movement. Just like in the 1960s, moderates need to understand these people have risked everything to improve their lives, and because of this, it is infuriating to hear that we need to wait for the right conditions.

The United States can be infamously known for its long list of hypocrisies that have existed since the start. The founding fathers would state all men were created equal, while most of them had owned slaves. During World War II, they would send African Americans to fight the white supremacy ideology in Germany. When they came home, they would not be allowed to share the same rights as their fellow white soldiers. The Statue of Liberty is supposed to represent a beacon of freedom, welcoming people to America’s shores, but the U.S had an extensive history of its immigrants facing prejudice. Slowly but surely, America is addressing these issues. While it may not be perfect, every time we stand together to fight for the advancement of humankind, we make progress in the right direction. However, before we can start to provide a solution to the issues, we need to be accepting of our fellow man. Remember that immigrants have the equal right to be here, just like natural-born citizens. We are all in this together, and our lives are interconnected with those around us. Martin Luther King Jr. had come to this realization before his assassination. He states, “We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality.”

Once we have addressed the issues regarding immigration, society must move towards providing change that will improve the lives of millions of people. The current visa system has become outdated and requires an entire team of lawyers and translators along the way. As I had mentioned before, immigrants must wait years before they can start to see any changes to their legal status. During this time, they need to provide constant financial support to process any necessary documents and transactions. In my family’s case, the first time we interviewed for residency 12 years after we had arrived in America. We had all the required documents, but we could not move forward because our petition was from 2002 instead of 2001. Our entire case was worthless, and we had to start over from scratch. Modern immigration reform must provide a more efficient pathway towards citizenship that grants protections along the entire way. This reform incentivizes more people to apply for residency as many immigrants’ fear that the process is too arduous of a task. Like the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA), protections from deportation can provide peace of mind to those in the process. We also must recognize the injustices committed because of U.S imperialism and see if there is any way to mend those broken bonds. History needs to be taught, not from the perspective of the victors, but from a view that allows us to learn about the long-lasting effects that policies have. It may be uncomfortable to learn about certain subjects, but it ensures that we reduce the amount of ignorance prevalent in our country.

It will be a long journey to reach the top of this mountainous task, and we need to work together to get to that peak. Once we have arrived, we need to make sure that we do not go back to the valley of negative mentalities that enveloped our society. If we do so, the cycle will continue, and history will once again repeat those ideas of nativism and xenophobia.

Works Cited

Thomas Gibb. “Too Often the History of El Salvador's Civil War Lets the United States off Too Easily.” America Magazine, 21 Jan. 2017.

Dellinger, Drew. “Dr. King's Interconnected World.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 Dec. 2017.

History.com Editors. “History of San Francisco's Chinatown.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 25 May 2017.

Lind, Dara. “MS-13, Explained.” Vox, Vox, 26 Feb. 2018.

Press, The Associated. “Before Venezuela, US Had Long Involvement in Latin America.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 25 Jan. 2019.