An Answer to an Immigrant Question Meant to Attack

ourfreesociety (47)in #life • 6 years ago (edited)

Veronique Bijou did such a great job at responding to this question on Quora, that I asked if I could repost it and she said yes...

Here was the question...

"Why do illegal immigrants, from any country, believe that it's okay to be in the United States illegally?"

Not ONE person responded to her great answer! (except me of course)

Here we go...

"With all due respect to the very intelligent individuals who have answered this question quite differently and with all good points, I would like to say that no one can truly answer this question unless that person is, was, or has been an illegal immigrant, and/or an immigrant at all. Let me answer this simply. Illegal immigrants DO NOT believe it is Okay to be in the United States illegally. That should be clear, first and foremost. In case it is not evident, immigrants do not just wake up one sunny day in their hometown, pack their bags , strap on their sandals and go “Well! Off to America, then! Land of milk and honey!” There are some people who enter the U.S. illegally to take advantage of the opportunities in this country, but believe me, many immigrants are not here because they can, or even Want To be here.

There is an African saying that goes something like this: “A man does not run into his neighbor’s house for shelter in the middle of the night unless his house is on fire.” For many immigrants, their birth country is practically inhabitable-war, famine, hunger, disease, politicians who care more about filling their bellies and lining their coffers and have no regard whatsoever for the well-being of their constituents. My birth country, Cameroon, is a prime example. Close your eyes for a second and picture this: Citizens in their homes on a cool summer morning, awakened suddenly by never-ending shots from tanks and machine guns, forced to flee their homes into the bushes. Charred bodies of elderly men and women set ablaze by both military and insurgents, poor men and women whose frail bodies failed to carry them speedily into safety; corpses of young men and women littering the streets;babies born on dried leaves in the forests with no medical care and no supplies; and medical personnel who take the risk to assist these refugees murdered in cold blood by unknown assailants.

Now open your eyes. Put yourself in this position. If you were in that situation, and you were told there was country where you could run to, but you might die on the way, be despised when you get there, be a target for hate groups and ignorant close-minded individuals, but if you laid low, kept your head down, and tried to survive you would not end up just another faceless, nameless, lifeless body on the streets of your hometown, worthy of only a cursory glance and a sad head shake as people scroll up and down their social media feeds, would you go? Would you take the chance?

The answer, for those who have been there, is almost always a resounding, unwavering Yes. Many of you do not understand what these people have to give up to be here. You hear of it, yes, but you do not understand. Entire household fortunes, however meager, are put towards making a journey to a foreign land one has never heard of or has no idea if survival therein would even be possible. People sell their land, cattle, homes, everything, just for a chance to be granted a visa to leave the country. And to press the point of just how dire the situation is, for every person who is granted a visa, there are hundreds more in the same situation denied every day. Imagine selling everything you own, getting to the embassy just to have a “No” stamped on your papers, and having to go back into the burning blaze you are so desperately fighting to escape and start all over again. From scratch.

I do not know about immigrants in, say, Mexico, who seem to have a direct route (if you can call it that) into the U.S., but think about it. The United States is not the only country where immigrants are fleeing to. Those who have been paying attention to foreign new lately can tell you of the many, many bodies lost to sea because they set out in floating rafters (akin to the sorts of things we lounge in by the pool while sipping margaritas on hot summer afternoons). What, do you think, possesses someone to climb on a plastic boat with more than a dozen other people and set out to affront dangerous waters, you ask? Because the prospect and vision of a better life is a million times better than wallowing in the disaster that is their current situation. And yes, many of us believe it is better to die trying than to do nothing.

And for those who actually succeed in entering the country, the battle is not won. Immigrants, illegal or otherwise, do not come into this country (or any other, for that matter) with the intention of being on equal footing with the citizens. They do not. Many Americans and politicians argue back and forth on the subject, talking about things like healthcare and taxes and asking questions like “Who’s gonna pay for them?” and (my personal favorite) the plaintive cry “They are stealing our jobs!”. Speaking from personal knowledge, I can tell you that immigrants do not come here wanting your jobs, or your healthcare, or anything from you. The scraps that fall from your table are enough. Take an example from the many Hispanic folks who line the streets everyday, just hoping someone would ask them to work for less than minimum wage-which by the way, many business folks (right up to our current leader) have taken advantage of. If I can be so bold, many Americans are just plain hypocrites. You eat Mexican food, Chinese food, African food, you dance to their music and allow yourselves to be entertained by them. You charge them ungodly sums to fix your broken homes and leaky pipes and all else. You sleep with their men and women. And yet to share even a small fraction of the wealth this country so loudly claims to possess is sacrilegious to you? That, to me, is abject hypocrisy.

Immigrants would pay taxes if you let them. Out of their meager earnings, if only for a chance to walk out in broad daylight without fear. Many do not frequent hospitals, even with the strong push for free/low cost healthcare for these individuals. And for those who keep saying they are taking your jobs, what jobs, exactly? How many Americans are actually standing in line at the farms looking to be put to grueling work for long hours? How many actually want to clean the behinds of ailing strangers-or of their own family members, for that matter? How many take advantage of these individuals’ statuses to put them to work in childcare and house-cleaning, things that would cost a fortune were they to go about it the “legal” way?

The truth of the matter is, every country that accepts illegal immigrants does so because it needs them, to do the work that their citizens will not do, or do at the cost they need it to be done. These individuals, these illegal immigrants, do not come here because they think it is okay. Their only thought is survival. Through rough seas, barbed wires, high walls, and electric fences, their only goal is to survive. And if you think this is wrong, let me leave you with a little exercise. Watch a documentary (I am sure there are many out there) of individuals who are struggling to enter a particular country (this link has a few Europe or Die: Our Documentary About the Migrant Crisis). See how the people on the wrong side of the fence rejoice when their fellow men succeed in getting to the other side. That cry of joy, is because they know, that regardless of what they would face in their new country, it is much, much, better than where they came from."

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