An illegal American?

How could such a thing even be possible?

Some sources say there are 2 million others like me. In my case I am writing this because I’ve already served 20 years and it is time for you to act. We illegal Americans have all been paying for a crime we did not commit. 

 

My Personal Story:

When I was 6 years old my Mother took me on a plane from a country in Europe to the USA. I have very few memories of life before that flight. Since then I have been in the US unable to leave and not important enough to be recognized as American. Thanks to the Illegal Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA) of 1996 if I leave now I can’t come back home for 10 years. (Yes, that means even if I wanted to leave so that I can come back legally and do it right).

The law was passed to curb illegal immigration. Sometimes though we don’t realize the people that may be negatively affected by them. We can’t just say ‘well it’s the law’ because you are the ones who decide what’s law….So it shouldn’t cause so much pain to others and if it does it should be changed because that’s what government is for.

Imagine for a second…that you were a 6 year old or 3 month old brought to this country by your parents. You are now an adult in control of your own life and would like to fix this bad hand which has been dealt to you by your parents’ mistakes. But you can’t because there is no solution. There is no application I can fill out. Most people don’t want to believe that and it makes congress not want to try.

I started first grade here and sang the national anthem every day in school. It is the only anthem I know the words to. English is my language. I can clearly remember Sept 11th, I had just started 5th grade.  I was so scared and horrified like my fellow American classmates.

When I was in camp as a child I had to stay behind as the entire camp went to Niagara Falls. If I had gone I wouldn’t have been allowed to return home. Does that sound fair? Over the years I’ve missed out on trips to other countries with school and friends. And I still do…I’m in my 20s now. I can’t leave. And I can’t change my status. What do you want from me? I’ll give you everything I own, just let me out of jail. Have I not paid for the crime of my 6 year old self yet?

The 2 Million +/- others:

I’m just one person. There are 2 million other stories out there. People who are stuck in this parallel reality of knowing they’re Americans but legally just being called illegal aliens….They are unable to move freely in this world. Some brought here as young as 1 month old. What could you possibly want from them? Some say go back to some random country you don’t care or know much about. The other option is to stay here and never see another country in your lifetime.

What’s taking so long?

For a few reasons we are not really important. There are 2 Million of us in society and we’ve always been there. Most Americans don’t have a clue about immigration and don’t care because it doesn’t affect them. I’ve spent 20 years of my life like this and since nobody fully understands the immigration mystery they just end up promising change as part of an ‘Immigration Overhaul’. That could be a reality in another 20 years. But what about the people who are still waiting? Their lives are going by and the solution for this small population should be entirely possible. If only a group would actually care.

The current immigration system doesn’t make sense to anyone. In my case my father had a Green Card and my siblings were born here before they moved to Europe - only to come back with me to the US after I was born overseas. Applications could’ve been filed before I turned 18 but I was a kid. If my father had become a citizen before I turned 21 I would've been legal as well.

Because Immigration is so complicated nobody wants to try and figure out how to deal with us. We’re not exciting. In politics when people are just living their lives and not being exciting they don’t matter. We’re not abortion, national security, or the border. Life is just going on and so it doesn’t get attention, and if someone just attempted to solve this issue by taking the time to write the law….there would 2 million people whose lives would change for the better.

But that’s just not how it works. We’re stuck. Nobody cares about us. We aren’t on the news and that’s because this a boring topic. Nobody understands it and it’s too hard to explain anyway. We’re just law abiding people that can’t vote.

Why the DREAM Act sucks:

I think this was introduced as desperation to protect college students who are in this situation. Here’s the info from Wikipedia:

Requirements for conditional resident status

·         Person must have proof that they entered United States before the age of 16 and must have continuously lived in the country for at least 5 years

·         Must have graduated from a United States high school or obtained a GED

·         Person demonstrates good moral character

·         Pass criminal background checks and reviews

After having obtained and held conditional resident status, permanent residency may be granted if the following requirements have been met in a period of six years.

Requirements for permanent residency

·         have attended an institution of higher learning or served in the United States military for at least 2 years and if discharged, have received an honorable discharge

·         pass another series of background checks

·         continue to demonstrate good moral character

If these requirements are not fulfilled the conditional resident will lose their legal status and be subject to deportation.[3]

Soooo…let’s see. In my case I would get the conditional resident status but to keep it and get permanent residency I would have to join the army or graduate from college within 6 years. I tried to find out how long after that you could apply to be a citizen but the link to the bill I found didn’t work. There are also so many different versions from everyone trying to keep it away from something that could be shouted as ‘amnesty’ on Fox News. How is this a solution for 2 million individual lives? For people who didn’t even choose to break the law because they were kids!

One version looks like it says “Not have entered the United States on a non-immigrant Visa.” Wow. What is the difference? This is the fundamental problem. It shouldn’t matter, we were kids. I came here with the Visa Waiver Program? Do I qualify? What about if your parents brought you here on a visitor visa? It’s getting so complicated. This is not a solution.

A law that just allows us to either apply for citizenship based on our outstandingly normal lives in the US. Or give me a green card that I have to hold for 2 years if that makes you comfortable. Because at the end of the day there is no difference to anyone except us if you make the process quick and easy or continue to find the longest possible way of recognizing us as Americans.

We just need congress to care enough so that when it does get called out as amnesty they can explain it to regular citizens who don’t care anyway and most people agree that a solution has to be found. You just have to be willing to take that heat and take on the task.

You can literally cause a fundamental change in the lives of 2 million people.

At the end of the day I know one thing that no legal opinion can ever change…..I am an American and the only real solution is to recognize that.

 

Thank You!

PS,

DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is a policy (not law)  to put in place by Obama in 2012. It allows me to drive and work with a SSN. And that’s it. It defers my non-existent deportation. I am grateful for those privileges therefore I renew it every two years and allow myself to be fingerprinted every time. Now Trump may or may not remove that policy. A real law must come from Congress because that’s how our government works.