Immigration: Do We Practice What We Teach?

Xenophobia is defined in Wikipedia as “the irrational or unreasoned fear of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange.  It comes from the Green words… meaning ‘stranger,’ ‘foreigner,’ and ‘fear’. 

The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action has urged “all governments to take immediate measures and to develop strong policies to prevent and combat all forms and manifestations of racism, xenophobia or related intolerance…”

There are those in the US who consider themselves to be the “ingroup” and they want to keep the “outgroup” out of the US.  Some may fear that by letting too many foreigners into the US, Americans will lose their identity.  Others fear that English may no longer be our national language.  Some fear that American will look physically different if we let too many foreigners into the US, or that our society will be overtaken by different cultures; that our stores will look different, that there will be more soccer games than baseball games, or that the influx of foreigners will take away jobs. 

Recently, singer Marc Antony, a native-born New Yorker, of Puerto Rican heritage, sang God Bless America at our All Star Baseball Game.   Some criticized the decision to have him sing, claiming that he was a foreigner, that he was a Mexican, that an American baseball game shouldn’t allow a foreigner to sing the tribute song. 

Some people don’t know that Puerto Rico is a US territory and that a person born in Puerto Rico is born a US citizen.  Some people may not know that a person born in New York is also a US citizen.

Recently in the George Zimmerman case in Florida, there was public outcry of racism.  Discrimination may occur in cases involving nationality, ethnicity, gender; it can involve Africans, Mexicans, immigrants, religious sects, women, natives, the poor.

Our US government is in the midst of comprehensive immigration reform discussions.  There is discussion about building a higher wall, rather than about breaking down walls and mending fences. 

How much do xenophobia, racism and discrimination play a part today in immigration reform?  The US Senate voted to not include same-sex marriages in immigration reform.  It took the US Supreme Court to make the determination that same-sex marriages would not only be included in immigration reform, but in immigration as it exists today.  Our schools teach tolerance and anti-bullying to our children.  Can we, as adults, truly say that we are not at all influenced by racism, xenophobia or discrimination?  Americans have come a long way over the past 200 years.  Recent issues show us that we still have a ways to go.