Liberty for Immigrants?
“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!”
Poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus.
Does/did living in the United States as an immigrant ever worry you or scare you? Make you nervous?
“I don’t live in fear or nervousness, just precaution,”. Anonymous mother of two.
“I was scared to get deported, I was extremely sad because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to go back to my country for a long while or see my family there, and I was also embarrassed when at certain places they would ask for my ID and I didn’t have one,” Oneyda, 39, Guatemala.
“I was scared the cops would ever stop me for any reason and ask for my identification but I’m always aware and cautious. Also very sad I wasn’t going to be seeing my mom for a while,” Jaime, Salvador.
America makes it seem like everyone and anyone is welcome, especially if they’re in need for help. But do we really welcome foreigners? These people are only trying to make a better living for themselves and they are not breaking any laws, they come here to live decently and help their other family members back home because their families have no one else to rely on and the conditions from where they’re from aren’t always the best.
Written and translated by: Samantha Estrada
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