Being American and Immigration

Some of you know Tope Awe, a student at UW-Madison´s School of Pharmacy, who is facing deportation. Many of you do not. I have attached a link below to a recent article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal about her case -- PLEASE READ IT.

Tope worked for me in the Bradley Learning Community three years ago and has since continued to work for UW Housing. She is a delightful, intelligent, laid back and yet competitive individual. About a week before I was to depart for Guatemala, Tope and her brother were taken into custody by immigration officers because unknown to either of them their immigration status had lapsed so to speak -- Please read the article for full details of their story. Needless to say I was shocked when I heard the news, and it remains difficult for me to wholly comprehend. How could this be? And why?

Immigration is used politically as a mechanism to garner support from typically individuals who are fearful of anything they consider "outside" and who often ignorant of realities of immigration regulations, the impact of immigrants in the USA, and the personal stories of both U.S. citizens and immigrants affected by all of this. I hesitated to write about Tope on my blog because I know immigration as a topic can bring out the ugly in people, however, I believe Tope´s story exemplifies the complexities of immigration which are so often glossed over in the media and over-looked by the masses.

When a child is born in the USA, the child is automatically given U.S. citizenship. Neither of the child´s parents have to be U.S. citizens. Simply by birth on U.S. soil, this status is granted. In general I do not take issue with this, however, when someone like Tope who has spent all but the first three years of her life living in the USA faces deportation, I begin to question the ways in which citizenship or residency is granted. Tope´s brother is married to a U.S. citizen and they have a child together. He, too, faces deportation. Why? The simple answer is paperwork.

It is difficult to find someone who is completely unaffected by immigration. Most of us work with someone who immigrated to the U.S. or who is here on a visa of some kind. Your children go to school with other children who may have citizenship in the U.S. while their parents do not. My brother and a handful of friends have married individuals from other countries. Each of them has their own stories of the challenges faced in trying to legally wed the person you choose. The person you love.

I refuse to give up hope in Tope´s case, but I worry for her. And I worry for us. Who are we as a society when this is how our government functions? I think, no I know, we can do better, and we can be better for ourselves and the world in which we are a part.