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July 17, 2007

Mending Fences

Immigration is a great and important part of the U.S., but immigrants should arrive and contribute to American society

Story by: J. Blankenship

The Shorthorn Staff

Click to enlarge

The Shorthorn: Isaac Erickson

Immigration is a heated topic echoing through government halls, corporate employment centers and communities. The complex issue has blended into a molten mix of attitude and heritage. Social services, rental property owners and taxpayers share concerns about what is no longer a two-sided argument. Just about everyone involved has concerns ranging from national security to language priorities and economics.

We’ve been here before.

President Theodore Roosevelt dealt with tremendous immigration problems in 1907, and his solution failed miserably. He rounded up immigrants and shipped them out of the country. As their feet hit dry land, immigrants ran right back to America. That sounds a lot like our southern border today.

The Statue of Liberty, a gift of international friendship from France in 1886, stands proudly in New York Harbor. She’s one of our country’s strongest and most enduring icons. Raising a torch, she appears to be taking a step forward as a symbolic broken chain around her feet gives way to freedom.

Immigrants and tourists are attracted to the 22-story structure. Yet her torch was closed to the public in 1916 because of vandalism. The old one was removed in 1984 and now stands in her lobby, and a newer gold-covered torch lights the way. Her crown was closed to the public in 2001 when new safety standards determined guests couldn’t evacuate safely in an emergency.

Has fear of terrorism scared us into turning off this welcome light?

The American Family Immigration History Center at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum sits nearby and contains records of more than 25 million immigrants and crew members who arrived from 1892 to 1924. These ancestors probably wouldn’t be comfortable with our country thinking about restricting immigrants. After all, aren’t we all immigrants? Even Native Americans trace their heritage back to the Great Migration over the Bering Strait.

Our national icon and Roosevelt’s failed efforts teach us we can’t close our nation’s doors. That doesn’t mean we have to subsidize immigrants’ existence or permit tax evasion. Immigrants need to make a few sacrifices to be part of this great land. Our forefathers certainly did.

International settlers brought ambition, tools, skills, knowledge and strong work ethics. They learned the language and joined the American way of life. They retained their individuality, clung to their religions and faithfully taught future generations about their ethnic homelands. They were self-sufficient and balked at handouts. They proudly became contributing members of this society and paid taxes.

This may be a difficult concept for some Americans today, but many immigrants arrived on our soil happy to pay taxes. Many came from countries where leaders stole what they wanted and killed in the process.

We’ve been here before, too.

Let’s forget about kicking people out and sidestep the picky details. Let’s focus on the big picture. We can’t spit on our forefathers’ ambitions and ignore historical precedence or shortcomings. We must welcome immigrants and expect them to make sacrifices so they quickly become contributing members of this great community. Sacrifices may include employment, staying off the social service bankroll, learning some English, upholding our Constitution and preserving our freedoms.

Why? Because that sounds very American.

— J. Blankenship is a communication senior and staff writer for The Shorthorn