Senator Albert A. Hale (D-AZ) on the “Birth Right” Bill
Phoenix, Arizona – “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, temptest-tost to me.”
These words are what welcomed over 25 million people who arrived
as immigrants at Ellis Island and the Port of New York between 1802
and 1924. Ironically, these people were offered immediate
citizenship with a simple medical exam and signing of a ledger while
those who already inhabited this land, THE NATIVE AMERICANS, were
still not considered citizens.
In fact, because this current effort will consider children of illegal
immigrants as also illegal or undocumented then I too fall into this
category - THAT I AM AN ILLEGAL. BUT I AM NOT! I AM DINÉ! My
ancestors are inhabitants of this land from time immemorial.
As Diné, my grandfather was not a citizen, and my mother who was
born in 1919 was not a citizen. NATIVE AMERICANS WERE NOT
DECLARED CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES UNTIL 1924. This means
according to this proposed legislation, I am the child of a non-citizen
and therefore illegal. AM I TO BE DEPORTED? IF I AM TO BE
DEPORTED, WHERE AM I GOING TO BE DEPORTED TO?
The history of the United States has been largely one of continuously
expanding the community of people regarded as Americans. We have
taken pride and boasted of our model of assimilation as the “melting
pot” – a country of multiple ethnicities, races, languages, and
beliefs. We have never denied citizenship to any group of children
born in the U.S. – even when we denied citizenship to their parents,
as we did Asian immigrants from 1882 to 1943.
This expansive view of who is an American has been critical to our
success and our foundation. The issue is not the children of illegal
immigrants. The issue is our broken immigration system that is out
of touch with labor needs and separates families due to the
unbelievably long waiting time for consideration of citizenship.
We should not punish the children of undocumented immigrants for
their parents’ actions. Doing so will create a class of children who
are “stateless” and without a country. This will create a class of
people who are not welcome where they were born and not
welcome in the country that they supposedly are tied to. THIS IS NOT
A SOLUTION!
If it is to be done, then it must apply to every border and not just the
southern border of our state. It must be applied to every race. And, if
it is to be done then we must take down the Statue of Liberty
because her words are no longer true. And, if it is to be done then
we are a state of the middle-ages, where children were punished for
the crimes of their parents and born into servitude. This is not the
Arizona I know, and not a state that we can be proud of. THIS IS
NOT THE ARIZONA I WANT!
The word “immigration” now causes anger and fear for many
people. But immigration has a face, a human face. It is the face of
all your grandparents and relatives who came here for a better life.
It is a face of wanting more for your children than what you have – a
face of determination, will and hope. And we must address this issue
with the human face of compassion and understanding!
Thank you.
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, temptest-tost to me.”
These words are what welcomed over 25 million people who arrived
as immigrants at Ellis Island and the Port of New York between 1802
and 1924. Ironically, these people were offered immediate
citizenship with a simple medical exam and signing of a ledger while
those who already inhabited this land, THE NATIVE AMERICANS, were
still not considered citizens.
In fact, because this current effort will consider children of illegal
immigrants as also illegal or undocumented then I too fall into this
category - THAT I AM AN ILLEGAL. BUT I AM NOT! I AM DINÉ! My
ancestors are inhabitants of this land from time immemorial.
As Diné, my grandfather was not a citizen, and my mother who was
born in 1919 was not a citizen. NATIVE AMERICANS WERE NOT
DECLARED CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES UNTIL 1924. This means
according to this proposed legislation, I am the child of a non-citizen
and therefore illegal. AM I TO BE DEPORTED? IF I AM TO BE
DEPORTED, WHERE AM I GOING TO BE DEPORTED TO?
The history of the United States has been largely one of continuously
expanding the community of people regarded as Americans. We have
taken pride and boasted of our model of assimilation as the “melting
pot” – a country of multiple ethnicities, races, languages, and
beliefs. We have never denied citizenship to any group of children
born in the U.S. – even when we denied citizenship to their parents,
as we did Asian immigrants from 1882 to 1943.
This expansive view of who is an American has been critical to our
success and our foundation. The issue is not the children of illegal
immigrants. The issue is our broken immigration system that is out
of touch with labor needs and separates families due to the
unbelievably long waiting time for consideration of citizenship.
We should not punish the children of undocumented immigrants for
their parents’ actions. Doing so will create a class of children who
are “stateless” and without a country. This will create a class of
people who are not welcome where they were born and not
welcome in the country that they supposedly are tied to. THIS IS NOT
A SOLUTION!
If it is to be done, then it must apply to every border and not just the
southern border of our state. It must be applied to every race. And, if
it is to be done then we must take down the Statue of Liberty
because her words are no longer true. And, if it is to be done then
we are a state of the middle-ages, where children were punished for
the crimes of their parents and born into servitude. This is not the
Arizona I know, and not a state that we can be proud of. THIS IS
NOT THE ARIZONA I WANT!
The word “immigration” now causes anger and fear for many
people. But immigration has a face, a human face. It is the face of
all your grandparents and relatives who came here for a better life.
It is a face of wanting more for your children than what you have – a
face of determination, will and hope. And we must address this issue
with the human face of compassion and understanding!
Thank you.
By Senator Albert A. Hale January 31, 2011
"We should not punish the children
of undocumented immigrants for
their parents’ actions. Doing so will
create a class of children who are
'stateless' and without a country."
Photo by Eduardo Barraza | Barriozona
of undocumented immigrants for
their parents’ actions. Doing so will
create a class of children who are
'stateless' and without a country."
Photo by Eduardo Barraza | Barriozona
Published by the Hispanic Institute of Social Issues in Phoenix, Arizona
| HISTORY IS ABOUT TO CHANGE Grassroots Journalism |
| Related Links |
| ADVERTISEMENT |
|
| ADVERTISEMENT |
| Operation Immigration Arrests, Protests, and Turmoil in Maricopa County |
| Price: $19.95 + s/h $3.80 Total $23.75 Length: 47 minutes EAN: 978-0-9797814-6-9 |
| ADVERTISEMENT |
