What goes into differentiating “good” from “bad” in this binary conception of immigrants? Why are some perceived as “different?” Is it the fact that he is educated? Or that he speaks with no accent? Is it because he is working in a career that most consider “respectable?”
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Latino migrants in particular face significant barriers to belonging in the United States, which can gravely affect their mental well-being. The U.S. government plays a major role in the trauma and violence that is faced by the Latino community – through inaccuracies and stereotypes in political discourse, rigorous and intensive immigration policies, violent border control, and lack of resources for migrants.
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I have always been attracted to the “foreign.” For me, foreign has stood for: courage, hybridity, new perspectives and connection with another part of the world. If you are foreign, however you may define it, I appreciate that you dared to try something new, that you can see things from a different perspective, and that you will accentuate the particularities of my world seen from fresh eyes. I celebrate you, because you are my bridge to another universe filled with learnings that can expand my horizons. I value foreign in my life so that I can see myself and my context more clearly through the context of difference.
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The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) announced that international students currently in the US on F1 and M1 visas will be required to leave the US or transfer to a school with in-person learning formats if their current school is operating full-time virtually, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This directive is a double-edged, xenophobic sword: inhumane exploitation of the education system to re-open for in-person teaching before safe, while also increasing pressure on universities to increase tuition rates on already financially burdened students and families.
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“They are taking our jobs!” “How do you stop these people?” “We aren’t those types of immigrants.” Last week, as we found ourselves on the 18th anniversary of 9/11, I couldn’t help but think of that day in 2001, one of the first occurrences in my lifetime that changed how Americans viewed freedom and security. As a child of immigrants, this day was the first time I was told I wasn’t “one of us,” but rather one of ‘them.’
Read MoreThis week, two high-profile instances of government entities using facial recognition technology to identify individuals in photos or video footage hit the press. In Washington, Utah, and Vermont, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have used photos from drivers’ license databases in attempt to identify undocumented immigrants…
Read MoreI just used the search terms “helping migrants court case” because I wanted to share some thoughts on the case of Scott Warren, the 36 year old geography teacher who was facing up to 20 years in prison for helping migrants crossing into Arizona. The story came right up. And like our search terms, historical moments are being etched into our collective memories for future generations to read. Unless we change our relationship to migrants, they will read that we criminalized help.
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Last week’s Buzz article presented a well-known practice, and for me, a spiritual practice, of...
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“When you are giving love to people, you are stronger than one who is giving hate.” Those are the...
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As of today, more than 2000 immigrant children are still detained after having been separated from...
Read More“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” – Statue of Liberty...
Read MoreOn Tuesday millions of Americans went to the polls to exercise one of their basic rights as citizens of our country. They voted in municipal elections, and in Minneapolis, Minnesota we selected our Mayor, City Council and Park...
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