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A. A. Alvarez
Athens, Greece
As a person, I have learned precious lessons simply by sharing experiences with people from all walks of life who have made a conscious effort to grow beyond their nationalities, beyond their languages, and beyond their prejudices.
Chronicles of a Nomad: Memoirs of an Immigrant, merges all of our stories into one, providing an insider’s perspective about the way plenty of today’s young immigrants live their lives. Meet Carlos Rodriguez, an intrepid youngster who grew up in abundance, but who like many others, left his country as a tourist to pursue happiness in the land of the free... refills!
In the book, his message is about those moments of clarity when we make the decisions that shape who we become, and since nobody likes a sob story, Carlos' life is best described as a fun journey of self-discovery.
With my work, I hope to shed some light on the shadow cast by the nations that divide us, because with or without borders, we are all citizens of the world.
Recent Activity
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A. A. signed the petition | -
A. A. commented on the article |This is wonderful. I am definitely letting others know about this.
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A. A. commented on the article |Hello Kurt, thank you for your post.
I'd like to clarify point 2 of your post:
"2. Foreign guest workers are permitted to compete directly against American workers. An employer need not demonstrate that there is no qualified American worker to fill his open position, before hiring a foreign professional worker on a H1-B visa."
This information is innaccurate. In fact, an employer needs to submit "substantial" proof that they tried their best to hire someone in the states for "months" before their sponsorship application can even be submitted.
Employer Requirements: The job offer must be in a specialty occupation such as architecture, engineering, mathematics, etc. There are criteria for wages offered and the actual job performed No U.S. citizen or resident must be available for the job The petition must be submitted by the company (not the employee) Employee Requirements:A Bachelor degree Specialized skill Speak and read English And... this is a temporary visa that can only be extended into a permanent one IF the employer sponsors the employee, again. -
A. A. signed the petition | -
A. A. signed the petition | -
A. A. commented on the article |Thank you for your well written post Jane. I understand exactly what you're going through as an undocumented student who has given her very best, hoping that one day, your exemplary conduct will count for something.
Most people argue this matter in terms of education, student aid, social security, human rights, etc... and I've never seen it go anywhere. Everyone's minds are made up before they even enter the argument. So, I'm going to try a different approach. Let's talk about the military.
This post is meant for US patriots who oppose the dream act.
Americans are fortunate to not know what it feels to have planes flying about their cities and dropping bombs, and to hear machine gun fire cracking in their neighborhoods, either national or foreign. The only Americans who have a slight clue what that feels, are the soldiers who are doing precisely that in somebody else's country. I don't hear anybody calling "them" illegal, aliens, invaders, criminals... yet, US soldiers abroad are aliens and invaders, and they commit crimes which are justified under the excuse of war... which is, by the way, illegal. But instead, we call these men and women in uniform good, law abiding model citizens who do their duty for America and for world peace... through war.
This is not an attack on US soldiers, not at all. I don't attack anybody. I'm a pacifist. One of my best friends in the United States is a Marine, and he has the most noble reasons to be in the military. If he ever runs for office, I'd campaign for him because he understands right from wrong. His missions only involve humanitarian aid to disaster-torn nations and he has never hurt anybody. Other soldiers though, are not as lucky, and are put in harms way for political reasons that benefit only the ruling class. Yet, the US needs more soldiers, tens of thousands of them, to continue their agenda... call it world peace, call it imperialism, call it business... whatever you call it, they need more soldiers and thousands of Dream Act beneficiaries are waiting for a chance to jump in one of those uniforms.
In my experience, every anti-immigrant American I have met (interestingly, I have anti-immigrant friends too) are pro-military... Anti-immigrant and pro-military? I see a conflict here (pun intended).
What would have happened in WW2 if the United States had not allowed black men and immigrants (Italian, Irish, Mexican, etc) to enlist in the military? What would have happened to all those "White American" bomber pilots and crew who returned home for having been escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen, America's first black military airmen (with the highest escort success in the war), at a time when these white American "patriots" thought that black men lacked intelligence, skill, courage and patriotism. Sound familiar?
Through immigration reforms like the Dream Act, the US could afford to have the man power to continue their military campaigns abroad and to bring home the American soldiers who have fought long and hard, and replace them with motivated new recruits who are eager to wear that uniform and go to war as proud American Citizens.
So, you don't like immigrants? That's ok, I'm not trying to convince you to like anybody. But if you support your military, and you want your brothers to return home (and get rid of a bunch of stinking immigrants in the process), then the Dream Act is for you! -
A. A. signed the petition | -
A. A. commented on the article |
I’d like to make an addendum to my previous post on this issue. Here's a message for those who support immigration:
Those who oppose immigration will hate you. No matter what you do. If that's what you'll get, then you might as well do something to channel that hatred in the right direction. Let them hate you, but let it be out of envy, for wanting to be more like you.
Let them hate you for being brave, for having the guts to take the decision to struggle with immigration in search of a better life for you and your family. Let them hate you for not taking for granted the privilege of living in the United States, for loving that land more than any of them will ever do.
Undocumented immigrants face the possibility of being incarcerated on a daily basis simply for wanting to be useful, for wanting to go to school, for wanting to work, for wanting their families to prosper. And what do they do? They stay in the United States and tough it out. They know the risks, but they love that land more than anything else and they risk everything on a daily basis for the privilege of being there.
When Americans risk jail time, it is because they committed crimes. Theft, Sexual Abuse, Homicide... and what do they do when they’re faced with going to jail? They immigrate to Mexico.
Who's getting whose criminals?
Immigrants, please stop hating back on the haters. They were blessed with a passport that you are willing to risk anything for. Stop hating back on the haters because they will never understand you, just as you will never understand why they don't want you. I understand it... I don't "agree" with it, but I sure understand why they don't want us.
They were born privileged. And they hate seeing you enjoy what they consider a birthright. While it's sad and difficult to understand, it's their right. We can argue about it, but we can't change it.
What we can do is live by example. Every since day, be the best citizen we can be. Let’s begin by driving better and paying our infractions for example. Had this woman been driving properly, and had she paid that ticket, her lights-off offense and wanted license plate wouldn't have triggered the cops stop her. Not paying tickets is a luxury that only Americans have and some undocumented immigrants who have lived too long in the States tend to forget that their “rights” are often meaningless. Please don't risk losing your children for committing such foolish mistakes. You can't afford it.
When I moved to the States, everybody told me that Americans were racist and that they hated Latinos. Then, I arrived at my new school and saw my "Latino brothers and sisters" waving their flags, screaming in their language, playing their music at "fool" volume, and smoking weed. While it's true that groups of Americans were doing the same things, it's their country, and they can't get deported for screwing up.
I studied hard, got good grades, played sports, wore a school-pride shirt, and blended in with my "American and immigrant brothers". I didn't "pick a side" like those few Latinos did. I had friends from the United States, Mexico, Morocco, Jordan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Serbia, Russia, Romania, etc... And I was NEVER mistreated by ANY American, for being a foreigner, EVER.
In fact, I was often complimented for being such a proud newcomer. They used to say, "You're Latino? But... why are you not like them?" And I would answer back, "For the same reason YOU are not like THEM (pointing at the 'bad' Americans).
It's not just about where you were born, it's also about who you are and what you do. Honoring one's culture, remembering one's roots, and speaking one's language are beautiful things so long as we don't impose them on others -- especially on Americans in their own country. Doing these things in public can easily turn an "indifferent" American into a "hater". Let's keep our old habits at home, around our friends and family... let's teach our children our mother tongue and our country's history... but please, let's do it at home. Outside of our homes, let's just be good "citizens of the world".
If we lead by example, Americans will reciprocate our behavior with tolerance and open arms. That's the best way to get back at haters . . . by taking away their right to hate us with a reason to love us. -
A. A. commented on the article |
Americans are in their right to want illegal immigrants out of their country. The matter at hand is "how".
The video does not provide enough information about what happened to the children "after" the incident. Maybe they got deported with their mother (which would have been sad, but logical if they didn't have papers either)... maybe they were given to child services and placed in a U.S. orphanage while their mother was deported by herself (which would have been insane!).
To separate a mother from her children is inhumane and simply wrong. If deportation is what that woman was facing, then she should have been allowed to take her children with her. Without knowing what happened afterwards, I don't think that arguing here is taking anybody anywhere. "Transition Land" wrote a good post explaining why.
Nationalists are what they are. They believe they're good people and they may even be fun to hang out with... if you're one of them. And although immigrants are very different from them, in one thing they're alike. Immigrants too believe they're good people, and they also may be fun to hang out with... if you're one of them.
Two oppossite sides of the same coin; the coin being the human race. Change comes from within and "hating back" does not get anyone anywhere. There's one thing we can do, and that is to behave as exemplary citizens. That goes for both "teams" here.
Haters hate, and if that's what they want, that's what they'll do. There are as many haters on both sides. Cease fire people. Nobody wins from this.
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