So Trump wants to cut immigration by 50% and only allow in “highly skilled” immigrants. I would ask that we, as a nation, review our own family histories before anyone climbs up on their privilege and screams, “Hell, yeah!”
I know I wouldn’t exist if my family roots had to pass this standard. My paternal forefather landed in Philadelphia as an indentured servant around 1865. And on my mother’s side we had the Great Fleeing Rodriguez’s, who had run from Spain and then Cuba to avoid political unrest before finding themselves in the Boogie Down Bronx. There, a forefather supplemented his meager income by running numbers and betting on horses – neither of which fall into Trump’s “highly skilled” category. And yet, out of that came dedicated cops and quiet philanthropists who have benefited our communities greatly.
Trump’s bill would rob this country of such silently noble heroes.
My wife’s family tale includes a wounded veteran of World War I, and a love story that saw a promising member of Italy’s state police leave law enforcement to bake cookies at Stella Dora and put in gym floors, all in the name of love for a woman he saw only once. That romance brought forth a well-respected geriatric doctor and a pre-K teacher who dedicated herself to launching the educational careers of youngsters for 32 years before retiring to a serve other communities in a church and a library.
Trump’s bill would rob this country of such silently noble heroes.
And then there is Leo, a Latino working on the house next door to mine, the one Charlie from the Red Cross lived and died in. Leo and his family are clearing out the house, repairing what needs to be fixed, and clearing the back yard after 20 years of neglect. Yesterday, I saw Leo chopping down a twisted and dying tree in the pouring rain. Thunder rolled and grumbled across the heavens, clouds cried across the whole neighborhood and yet there was Leo working steadily, like a modern John Henry. No complaints. No clocking out early. Just working to finish the job he contracted to do. A true example of the American Spirit I heard so much about when I was growing up.
Trump’s bill would rob this country of such a silently noble hero.
America has always invested in people, offered anyone, anywhere a chance at our national dream, the one that says anyone who comes here and works really hard can become what he or she wants to be.
And now a spoiled, silver-spooned child whose father started him off on third base wants to prevent our future heroes from even getting a chance to dream?
Well, I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds downright unAmerican.
You want to know what you should think about this bill? Go look through your old family photo albums and see how many of your people wouldn’t have gotten their chance at the American Dream under this bill.
Scary isn’t?
You should see how scared our next heroes are….
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