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Through the Eyes of a child immigrant This was one of the ted talk videos I watched. As I watched this ted talk, I learned a lot about perspectives. As we all know, the U.S. was founded by immigrants. We also know that many people BELIEVE this is the best country in the world, and that many people want to com here. Do YOU believe that? A lot of Americans, live in fear. Why? They feel as though when immigrants come to "the best country" the Americans will lose their jobs and their way of life. But what is the American way of life? About 3 years ago, Gallup ran a poll. The polls showed that 13% of the worlds residents (700 million) would want to relocate themselves elsewhere. But only 140 million listed the United States. Yes, that is a lot, but is that the whole world? Is that everyone? No. They also ran a poll, which spoke about being happy. Happy where you live, happy where you work, etc. 76% of Mexicans said yes. 79% of Americans said yes. That difference is only 3,. Perhaps if there was a big difference, then maybe you could say all Mexicans want to come to this country. But that is false. In America, you hear about gangs, drugs, rapes, violence in the central american countries. But do you know what they hear about this country? The racism, the hate, the mass shootings, etc. Ever think of that? The guy was left with 3 questions, and so was I. 1. How would mindsets change about immigration if Americans didn't think that EVERYONE in the world is clamoring to come to the U.S.? 2. How would politicians and law makers talk differently without this same mindset? 3. Would Trump still talk the way he talks about immigration, if he was educated? What if you were an immigrant? When I watched this ted talk, there's not much I learned. A lot of what he said is the way I personally think. He claimed that Immigration is an unfair trade. He said "Parents pay the cost, children reap the benefits, and the grand kids take it all for granted. He also said that many immigrants experience poverty, and they fill poverty with dreams and hope. ONE CENTURY AGO, immigration was a lot different. The greatest suffering was caused by NATURE, like no food, no water, shipwrecks, etc. NOW the greatest suffering is caused by MAN. Did you know that it is easier to ship a box of bananas from India to the U.S. then to reunite a child with their parents. Some people are uncomfortable with letting people in, and others are just influenced by politicians and law makers. At the same time though, did you ever think . . . do lawmakers and politicians ask you what your opinion is on immigration? No. They just make the laws, and you follow. A lot of the population in America is made up on Hispanic Immigrants. Yet we are afraid to let some in. What others do not notice, is that the system is fragile, and it relies on immigration to grow.
So as many of you know, on the 23rd of last month, my mom went to the department of homeland security, U.S citizenship and immigration services. My two brothers and I accompanied my mom on that day. I remember my mom was so nervous, and she prayed that she would get to become a resident that day. She said getting approved her residency would allow her to be with her kids for the rest of her life, without the worry that any second she could get deported. We arrived to the place in Cherry Hill where we had to pass through a metal detector and had to get patted down. After waiting for an hour AFTER her scheduled appointment, a young man dressed in a white shirt and striped tie called "Rosa Velasquez" to the back. My older brother, my mothers lawyer and my mom followed the gentleman to the back, while my younger brother and I waited behind. We waited for about 45 minutes when we finally saw my mom and brother again. Unfortunately, my mom did not have the facial expression I was waiting for. I was hoping for tears of joy from my mom, happiness written across her face, but I did not get that. I got a disappointing look from her. I knew, we were not leaving with the news we expected to get when we got there. I immediately went to my mom and hugged her, and asked her what was wrong. My mom informed me that she did not get approved nor denied. The immigration officer said that he was unfamiliar with cases like my mothers. Here's the interesting thing though, my mother's case is VERY simple. She came in 1996, applied for her green card, got her green card, went to El Salvador once; with immigration approval, and now she is applying for her residency. How unfamiliar can that be? The immigration lawyer said that he would have to communicate with a colleague before making his final decison, and that we would hear from him in about two weeks from then. I was furious, but my mother stayed positive. She said, "I've waited 23 years for this day, what is two weeks?" The lawyer researched some cases from that day, and it showed that the majority of immigrants that tried to become residents that day got denied. The one's who didn't got put on hold. I have a strong feeling, that they just did not want to say yes on the spot. It has been officially 15 business days from that day, and we have no response. On February 3, the rapper She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, otherwise known as 21 Savage was arrested because he has long overstayed his visa. On top of that he is eligible for deportation. Rolling Stone also claims that the rapper is being held in one of the worst deportation centers, which is the Irwin country Detention Center. The center has a history of guards throwing detainees into solitary confinement and ignoring reports of sexual abuse. His lawyers argue that he has been in the country for almost 20 years and has a visa pending. They also argue that 21 Savage is subject to mandatory detention under federal law and is eligible for a bond, but ICE has not granted him a bond. This relates a lot to my project because something that I want to talk about are the detention centers that immigrants are sent to. Immigrants should be treated like people, and if they are in need of help then they should get it, regardless of their immigration status. Although yes, 21 Savage did overstay his visa, he hasn't committed a crime that harmed anyone and he is now in a detention center where he could be suffering and no one is helping him. Mr. Snyder was born in North East Philly and moved to Pennsauken, where he was raised. As a young child, he loved living his life with a thrill. He enjoyed skydiving, rock climbing, and kayaking. Additionally, he played both soccer and tennis. He graduated in 1995 and went to Ryder where he had a soccer scholarship. Unfortunately, after his freshman year, he lost his scholarship due to his gpa, so he transferred to York College where he graduated.
Both of his parents were teachers as he grew up, so he always wanted to be a teacher. The only thing his father said was that he could not be a gym teacher. He was never good at English but he was always good at math. So when I asked him if he had his dream job, he said yes. He started as a teachers aid at Yale, then started to teach at Absegami, and came to Lindenwold September of 2002. He coaches soccer and tennis, because of the influence from his parents, and of course because he played as he was younger. After many years of crappy houses, kids and condos, he moved to Marlton where his home is. Which is one of the reasons why he teaches at Lindenwold. Lindenwold students teach him about attitude. He says that many students here go through so much, and have harder lives than him, but tend to have a better attitude than him. Many people don’t know that he is a big believer in Jesus. Snyder also would describe himself as honest, outgoing and fair. |