Mother of Exiles

 by

Christopher J. O'Shea

            We have become an embarrassment to ourselves. The deportation of peoples migrating to this country is something that is against the very core of what this country is supposed to be about. We have lost our way and let our government trample on the American dream. There is glaring evidence that the deportation of folks migrating here is against the contract we have shown the world of expressed invitation, and that the cost to us each year is not worth it given that the results show more people enter this country illegally then are being caught and deported. It’s time for Americans to care about things other than that which affect them. We must lead by example and adhere to the values that made this country great. We should show the world that tolerance of all people can be achieved by simply making room for the people who want take advantage of the possibilities this country has to offer. These people make contributions to the cultural fabric of this country while making a better life for their families. There is room for us all.

            So much room in fact that an estimated “11 million people without paper documentation” (CNS News) currently live in the United States. That means that despite our costly efforts 11 million people still reside in this country illegally. “The cost to detain, process and deport one person costs the United States $12,500” (CNS News). The math speaks for itself in this situation. The obvious goal of the government is to deport all immigrants living in this country illegally. Considering the amount of people that live here illegally (11 million), and the $12,500 that it takes to deport each one, it would cost the people of this country $137,500,000,000 to deport all illegal immigrants. Looking at the numbers of how we treat these people suggests that we are paying far too much to aid in the oppression of immigrants. According to the Washington Post we are paying on average “$41 billion a year” for deportation costs. Wouldn’t this money be better spent for education for these people on how to better acclimate themselves in our society? It seems that if we gave them the tools necessary to be productive members of our society they would be able to contribute and not be a burden. It would be a much more lucrative endeavor to teach them English and about American society then to try and remove them from it because they weren’t born here. It isn’t consistent with the American dream. This type of behavior is not what the founders of this country had in mind.

            “From 1776 until 1875 The United States had an open door policy toward immigration” (Elbert).  In fact in 1864 Congress “passed legislation to encourage immigration to the United States” (Elbert). These laws and policies clearly show that the founders of this country did not want to keep people away from this country. Now when someone wants to come here they are required to jump through many very costly hoops. We were meant to be a country that was open to all. This is a country of immigrants. The people who envisioned America were not looking to create a country that sent people back to countries in which they did not want to live. It took America almost 100 years to pass the first laws listing criteria for people not welcome in our country. The Laws restricted such people as “Convicts, Prostitutes, Idiots, and lunatics” (Guskin) from entering the country. These laws did not restrict anyone from any specific country of origin from entering. One might even argue that in present day America convicts, prostitutes, idiots and lunatics make up most of the population. The inconsistencies with the laws also cause a lot of problems and make it seem like the laws are more of an attack on our Mexican neighbors. In 1966 congress enacted the Cuban refugee Adjustment Act. This act was to ensure that any Cuban that had made it into the United States and was here for more than a year could be made into a permanent resident. The act helped to protect many Cuban refugees sent over in the Mariel boatlift in which 125,000 Cubans were sent to America without permission. Cuba stated that they would not accept the return of these people, as many of them were criminals in Cuba. After being interviewed and investigated they were allowed to become American Citizens. This act was further amended in 1995 when in negations with Cuba it was decided that Cubans that were caught before touching American soil were to be sent back to Cuba or detained, but those that made it to shore would be granted residency after one year. (Washington post). Why can’t Mexican immigrants be granted the same courtesy? This is very far from the tolerant nation we started out as. In the beginning we were so tolerant of people migrating here from oppressive nations French citizens and sculptors felt inspired to give us a symbol representing our tolerance that would welcome people to the land of opportunity. That symbol was the Statue Of Liberty.

           

            The Statue of Liberty is the guiding light of American values. It stands for

 everything we should practice as a country. The poem that she bears reminds us of

what should be important when considering people who want to be citizens of this

country. The most famous of lines from that poem says it all:” 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-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the

golden door!" (The New Colossus). The idea of accepting anyone into our masses who is oppressed and looking to bring their family to a country where they will be treated like human beings is a beautiful thing, a promise that no other country makes to the world. It is a promise we made that the exiles of the world will be welcome here. Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus” is contained within the Statue and dubs the Statue the “Mother of Exiles” because she stands at the original doorway of the country with her torch held high welcoming all those escaping wrongful persecution and injustice. It is the world’s tallest standing contract of welcome to the worlds trampled.

             Things would be better if we just went back to the old rules. Without lunatics, idiots, and convicts coming into this country we can go back to being the melting pot we set out to be. That seems to be a group of people we should be keeping out. But not folks looking for a safe place to raise their children. The hardest workers in this country are the very ones people are trying to send home. People like to argue that they are taking the good jobs and sending the money to their families in other countries. They make the statement that we have to carry the burden of their healthcare. They like to say these things and it is obvious that they don’t listen to what they are really saying. This country is supposed to be a competition. Whoever offers the best work gets the better jobs. If you don’t like it try harder. In regards to healthcare there is an easy solution if people are willing to be flexible for the greater good and act humanitarian as oppose to egocentric. Take the money that is going into programs to oppress these people and transport them back to other countries and get them a healthcare plan. Make it easier for them to become citizens and they will have legitimate jobs that purchase insurance for them. When considering the amount of people who were born here and aren’t covered by an insurance company, it isn’t fair to say that the problem is carrying immigrants. The problem with healthcare is another issue entirely and immigrants certainly aren’t much of the problem there. But greed is. We constantly show how childish a country we still are when we wander this far from our own standard of ethical treatment of people. It’s time for us to grow up, and either re-read the Statue of Liberty or Re-gift it.