biznatch

It kind of saddens to write after all these very well-expressed opinions, but I'll try to say this as clearly and eloquently as possible.

I was born in France. At two, I went to live in the US, in a small town in Ohio, where my dad was offered a big opportunity there to work (legally) as a plant director in an international corporation. I went an American public elementary school there, and all my friends were American. However, I still spoke French at home and would back to my home country to visit my family. If this seems boring, I totally understand, feel free to skip it.

At 7, I moved to Mexico City, and learned Spanish, and most of my friends were Mexican. I later came back and lived for several years, in Miami and New York, and now I go to college and live with my (American) wife in Colorado.

I don't really think much about a national identity, but often people ask me what I believe I am. Legally, I'm in the process of becoming an American resident and am a French citizen. At heart, I'm not sure. Sometimes, even though it doesn't seem right, I almost feel closer to Mexican(or Latino in general). It's gotta sound funny coming out of the mouth a white french guy with blond hair and blue eyes, but...the thing is, people from Latin America, after showing a few minutes of surprise of hearing me speak like a Mexican (in Spanish, I mean) always have shown me the warmest welcome. They make me feel like I belong.
Don't get me wrong, I love how America is built on welcoming other people and see how I may seem hypocritical, but, I can't explain the feeling of closeness I get when I meet up with my friends from El Salvador or Mexico, etc. and there's something different about it. Who knows, it might be the same with Americans in foreign countries, I don't know.

But I don't see why people should have to change their ways of life, and are expected to throw away what they hold dearest when they come here. Often the illegals here have spent several years saving up, them and their families, several thousands of dollars (which is very significant in the poorer Latin American countries) to come here, and have walked from the border across several states. I've traveled a fair amount, and the French, American, or German also build communities in foreign countries. They meet, they interact, they speak their own language in public places, I don't see much difference.

The ones I know and have worked with always worked their hardest, didn't splurge on anything stupid or useless and sent money back to their families. Yes, there are immigrants in gangs, drug dealing rings and violence. But to blame those things on immigration solely would be a sign of blindness.

I also don't think this country could function without immigrants. They get their hands dirty, and don't complain about it. They grow your food, harvest it, cook it, clean your dishes, take the trash away from your house, mow your lawns walk your dogs...I could go on forever. And this country needs that working force.
In my opinion, it's also narrow-sighted to contrast them with the earlier (or earliest) immigrants; legally, it wasn't nearly as difficult back then to become a citizen. There were no visas back then. Now, it's extremely difficult to lawfully live and work in US if you come from a poor country and aren't wealthy yourself.
I would be in favor of a controlled, legal immigration if it were more fair and viable, the truth is it's just not.
I'm sorry for my rambling, but this subject (strangely enough) hits close to home.