Immigrant - what does this word mean? What feelings does it bring up?
Earlier this week the word "immigrant" came up. I believe the conversation went something like this "such'n'such was a poor immigrant who discovered...." My 8 year old immediately chimes in "immigrant, those are bad people." Wait, what?
I remember when I was growing up in school we talked about immigrants with great awe and pride. The United States was a great "mixing pot" people came from all around the world to find freedom and opportunity in the US. We would read books about Italian, Irish and Chinese families coming through Ellis Island, living in the city, running stores and living great new lives. We learned about the children of these immigrants mixing their lives and cultures speaking English at school and another language at home, blending cultures and holidays. It always seemed as if immigrants and immigration were a beautiful and vital element to the American make-up.
Now, I'm sitting on the floor of my home school and I hear my son say "immigrants, those are bad people." I tried to unravel where these thoughts came from and what he truly understood to be an "immigrant." After much conversation I begin to find that he is taking in too much news (tv and radio). With so many heated conversations playing in the background my 8 year old son made the conclusion that immigrant=terrorist, murderer, bad people.
I immediately tried to dig into my knowledge of the Church's teaching on social justice. I said well what did Jesus teach us about "welcoming the stranger?" My 7 year old says in a questioning way "yell stranger danger?"
I don't know where to go from here. This discussion on the gold rush has completely derailed into a million directions. Somehow along the way our country has taken a turn and another turn and another turn. Are immigrants really "bad people?" No, not really. Yet somehow the rhetoric has slithered into our homes and hearts. One particular politician is on EVERY SINGLE CHANNEL being heard in sound bites "they are criminals," "they are rapists," "they need to all be sent back," "I would build a wall to keep them out". That sure sounds like stranger danger to me.
I'm not saying that we don't have some serious immigration and national security issues that need to be addressed. I know that, its an important issue no matter what side of the aisle you are coming from. But how far have we come and where are we going?
