The American dream has a price

The immigration agenda hasn’t been a priority for an endless number of developed countries. The United States of America seems to not be the exception to the rule. There’s no doubt that the arrival of the newcomers, mainly in the beginning of the 20th century and post 1965 has drawn the demographical map the United States is today. The new settlers have been the source of the economic, social and political growth of a nation that has been receiving them since colonial times. It has been the subject of discussion in each political platform, a subtle lure any candidate running for the White House will resort in order to collect votes. Nonetheless, failure to properly address this issue throughout decades or even centuries has led the nation into turmoil.

As of July 29th, SB 1070 will take effect. This is a law signed by the Arizona governor that, according to Human Rights and Latino organizations, will lead to racial profiling and the harassment of authorized visitors, immigrants or citizens who don’t carry the proper documentation. The local authorities will enforce it whenever they have enough evidence or suspicion that a person is in the country illegally; causing friction between the state and the federal government since it’s the latter’s job to regulate such matters.

Now, the attacks the Arizona government is facing go beyond this dispute between federal laws and state laws. The problem is rooted in the illegal immigration the Grand Canyon State cannot control. Should the current Arizona authorities stand still and wait for a solution that will probably take longer than expected? Are all aliens illegal? The answer seems to be: No. The state of Arizona has taking matters to the next level due to a lack of a way out to the problem. The alarming factor seems to be two-sided. Other states are willing to implement the same law; and a considerable amount of people, who have applied for their working visas or residencies, are still waiting for answers the government won’t provide. Some of those waiting lists can be traced back to 1994.

On the other hand, those living outside the law are not the only ones to blame for breaking it. One can get a social security number for a few dollars that opens doors in the labor market that would be otherwise closed. Construction and landscaping companies find in these outlaws a lower cost labor promoting and encouraging these practices. Employers who unlawfully hire illegal immigrants should be penalized and fined. This would discourage those looking for a job without the proper documentation and bosses from hiring them. Although people wouldn’t migrate if they didn’t have to, searching for new horizons means a better life for them and in most cases for the ones left behind.

However, there seems to be a bigger issue. The US-Mexican border is being threatened by a war carried on by drug cartels, kidnappers, trafficing of children and murders. A national ID carried by every citizen will probably cool things down; also bringing a sense of safety and security. Is this discriminatory? Absolutely not. Any person will have to show it upon request. Argentina, for example, has its own National Identity Document (DNI). “It is a small book, about half the size of a passport, and includes vital information about your identity, including a unique number that identifies you. This DNI number is the rough equivalent of the social security number in the United States”(*). These changes in homeland security policies will bring an obvious increase in state budget, but the addition of human resources and technology are imperative for the implementation of the law. It should be seen as an investment rather than an expense. Will SB 1070 be effective? That will be something we will have to wait for. In the mean time, few won’t deny that the American dream has rules that apparently no one is ready or willing to follow yet.

(*) ARCA
Argentina Residency & Citizenship Advisors
July 21, 2010
http://www.argentinaresidency.com/faqs/about-argentina-information.htm

When no one is around

Every time my mind detaches from the ordinary activities, I can’t help but thinking about my brother Horacio. I learned a few weeks ago he is my half brother. Learning about it was shocking but I knew right there that nothing was going to change our brotherhood. My mom was also worried for what my older brother or even my sister would think about her. Truth is we cannot judge her for her mistakes; we have our own ghost to deal with.

However, there is something that has been bugging me for a while. If you asked me what my brother likes or dislikes are I wouldn’t have a straight answer. Sad as it may sound, I don’t even know what his favorite food is, the music he listens to or what type of car he likes, if there is one. I can’t believe something like this had to happen for me to realize he was not part of my life. I know during his adolescence my older brother became his role model, but I don’t recall a time when I have tried to spend some quality time with him.

After finding out the truth, we had a short conversation. I felt horrible because I realized his heart has been hardened so many times that he can’t or he doesn’t want to pursue happiness any more. I wish he could see life the way I see it now. We both walked the same path. We both had to go through the same pain. I just want him to see that I couldn’t have made it without God.
My only hope is that he is able to see the same too.

Stationed in Vietman

I just finished reading “ Dear America Letters Home from Vietman”. My heart is torn. My first reaction after closing the book was to thank them for what they did for me…for us. The first letters were too painful for me to deal with and so I decided to read no more than a couple of them per week. During this time I felt I was closed to each one of these soldiers. Every word, every line, every letter had a voice that perhaps was unheard not by family or friends but for the world.

Through those words I sensed, I heard, I felt…I suffered. Every page was loaded with fear, passion, hatred, hope… resignation. I pictured them in their barracks, their tents, their ambushes, their trenches and their moments of solitude. Moments used to escape, at least for a few minutes from the horror around them and transport themselves back home. George O., John C., Hector R., James R., Sharon L., among thousands of others were my father, my brother, my son, my uncle, my sister, my friend, or me myself. I got to know them for what they were. I guess war portraits you for what you really are. Men scared and sometimes horrified for what they were witnessing but also men with courage and convinced of what they were fighting for.

I know there is so much history in the lives of the one who survived, but I was wondering what is the untold story behind the ones who never made it home. For they had dreams, ambitions, desires, hopes. They were men, young guys and even kids. Was it worthy? I don’t know much about politics but the world they left us is a free world or at least it seems to be. Borrowing some words from Rodney B.: “…the war we are fighting in South Vietnam is a war against communist aggression, which is an ever-present threat to the free world today.” I wonder if I had been ready to live in a world oppressed by a dictator, a tyrant, or ruled by some kind of religious lunatic or by someone telling me how to live my life in order to worship them. My answer is: No. And I will never be.