Where is Ellis Island When We Need It?
“New York
City has
changed dramatically in the
last 40 years.
Yes, there are
some people
who come to
America and
respect our
laws and way
of life. On the
other hand,
there are too
many who do
not. My family
came to America and honestly applied
themselves to
the American
way of life, while never forgetting where they came
from. We were grateful. We wanted to give back to
this country for all the opportunity we had received. I met a man in the coffee shop the other
day, who was trying to learn English. He was
reading a newspaper and asked if he could read to
me to practice. I thought that was great! There
was such a special exchange between two strangers who wound up feeling like friends. He will be
going home this Christmas with the money he
has earned during the three years he was here. He
will not, of course, be back.”
“I am telling you true stories. It makes one who
did it the legal way, whose parents did it the legal
way feel very frustrated and betrayed. Everyone
who was accepted into this country immediately
went to work. They studied to learn the language.
They contributed to their communities and honored and respected this country and its laws.”
“We still have the laws, but there is no enforcement. I think we got this way because of politics,
and money, and lobbying. I believe that we are
not enforcing the laws effectively because politicians feel that there are votes to be gained by
‘looking the other way.’”
“For example, just recently, the governor of New
York, Governor Spitzer, wanted to issue driver’s
licenses to all of the illegal Immigrants. Why did
he do that? He did this, because with a driver’s license, you can go in and vote! In my opinion, the
politicians would prosper from millions of illegal
44 Woman
The County
Magazine
immigrant votes! There was such an outcry over
the driver’s license issue that Governor Spitzer
had to take back his proposal. You have to ask
yourself; ‘isn’t the law just that...the law?’”
“All I know is that I have not seen anything get
any better or any nicer or any more livable. It just
gets worse and worse. You would think that after
something as horrific as 9/11 (the first time in
history that we have ever been attacked at home)
we would be more vigilant in enforcing the law.
It is horrifying to realize that one of the terrorists
actually came in illegally through our Southern
borders because he was able to get false papers
so easily. Something must be done to solve this
problem.”
“America has the most generous VISA program
in the world. We accept so many – more than
any other country in the world – legally. Why do
people want to come to this country? Because it
is the greatest country in the world! Don’t you
think the people who arrive here daily, should
honor our country by abiding by its laws? After
all, it is America who has given these people the
chance for a career, a life, and to make a living.
Why should there be two sets of rules? Where is
the common sense in all of this?”
“I have been an American for 77 years. I am
a piece of living history. I remember Ellis Island. I remember how proud we all were. I am
still proud. But, I am deeply concerned. I think
America has lost its focus. Many of our own
citizens cannot find work and have been displaced
by illegal workers and been the victims of the
‘outsourcing’ of all types of work. It would appear
that the most effective way to see change would be
for everyone who felt this way to make his or her
feelings known. I am too old to march out and
carry a flag. But I can assure you; the undocumented immigrants would, if they feel they have
been wronged in some way. They could sue or divert services and benefits from those who are born
to citizenship, or affect those who have followed
the law and earned their citizenship.”
“Of what importance is the process that my mother, my sisters and I, as well as millions of others,
completed, sometimes at great risk, to become a
citizen? How do the other people who have come
to America and are going through the legal process
for citizenship feel? Do they feel discouraged and
cheated when a person illegally circumvents the
system? Remember, we are talking about millions
and millions of people. As you are reading this
article, there are people jumping fences, crawling
through tunnels, and tragically dying in the desert,
as they illegally try to enter this country. Where is
the sense or justice in any of this? Why are we are
all so afraid to speak out? I am 85 years old, and I
am not afraid. I am mad! I knew America when
it consisted of real people who were part of each
other, who stood for something, and who were
proud to respect America and its laws. Those
people are still here but they need to have their
voices heard. They need to be seen.”
“I still remember that small 8-year-old girl,
standing alone on the deck of a cold steel ship. I
remember entering New York harbor 77 years
ago. I remember the awe in that little girl’s face as
she saw the Statue of Liberty towering above the
fog, her light shining to welcome me home. There
was a price to pay for the honor of freedom. I
paid it and would gladly do it again. I want to see
America again through the eyes of that eight-yearold little girl. It still exists; we have just forgotten
who we are.”