Oklahoma Senate OKs bill targeting illegal immigrants
I accidentally came across some of the most hateful, vitriolic, and ignorant comments about immigrants while reading the above article. The comments are appalling. Unfortunately, the anti-immigrant crowd yells the loudest and perpetuates fear in our communities and our legislatures. Pretty ironic considering our nation was founded by a group of people who immigrated here "without papers" and simply took the land from those who were here first.
Nuance is often lost on talk shows, in comment threads, and at the dinner table, but this discussion involves complexities ranging from statistics to examining our deep-seated beliefs. To counteract the ignorance, hate, and fear, I wish I could take the time to point to all of the resources that show that undocumented immigrants pay taxes yet do not qualify for the majority of government aid. I wish I had time to explain that there is no line to get into for many who want to immigrate here through the proper channels.
As we have seen from the "birther" movement, actual facts do not convince everyone. Instead, I wanted to share a post by Rinku Sen from Colorlines: May Day Rallies Reveal America's True Self--Its Promise and Its Fear. It's much easier to rail against statistics and groups of people, but perhaps if more individuals share their stories, we can counteract the vitriol and ignorance of those who are anti-immigrant.
Feel free to click here for my past posts on immigration.
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