A Nation of Immigrants

Editorial by Marilyn Hempel

We are all immigrants. Some of us (native Americans) have ancestors who came here thousands of years ago. Some of us have ancestors who arrived 400 years ago. And some of us just moved here. Thanks to the National Geographic's Genographic Project, we now know that almost all of us (except 100% native Africans) are descendents of "deep ancestors" who walked out of Africa. Most nations, in some sense, are nations of immigrants. Americans pride themselves in being a "nation of immigrants" but few seem to understand the consequences of current U.S. immigration policy—rapid population growth and environmental destruction.

I am a native southern Californian. I was born about 30 miles from where I am sitting now. When I gaze out on my beloved homeland, it is with sadness. It's hard to even recognize the place of my youth: the citrus groves are mostly gone, the vineyards have disappeared, along with the dairy farms, and saddest of all, the open space inhabited by native plants and animals has been lost. The only consistency within my homeland is the rate at which it is disappearing. Why? There are way too many people in this paradise.

So, who would I send home? Not my doctor, who is an Armenian woman from Iraq, a true refugee in every sense of the word. Not the Rumanian electrician who started an alternative energy business, and who installed the solar panels on my roof. Not my good friend from Sierra Leone who risked his life trying to establish a democratic government there, and barely escaped. And not my hardworking Mexican yardman, who probably came here illegally, but who now has two bright totally Californian kids.

My life is enriched by these people. Yet I am mindful that their homelands are the poorer for their absence. Without a doubt, the women of Iraq need my doctor more than I do. Rumania needs business entrepreneurs who are dedicated to sustainable living. The poor people of Sierra Leone desperately need politicians who care about them. And my Mexican yardman says he would prefer (if he could make a living wage) to be back in his home village.

Immigration issues get personal very quickly. No matter what we think the answers are to the immigration policy questions of "who" and "how many", I hope we can all agree that it is tragic when people are forced to move from their homes, away from friends and relatives, because of economic, political or social disasters.

If, as a nation, we truly cared about our land and people, we would do more than just say, "We are a nation of immigrants." We would insist that our government commit more resources to helping people at home. Specifically, we would support health care services including family planning, secular education for boys and girls, poverty eradication tied to social justice. We would also engage in restoration ecology projects to restore farm land, open space and wilderness.

In this edition of the Population Press we revisit the work of the Jordan Commission on Immigration Reform. Unfortunately, Barbara Jordan died before the Commission finished its final report, and its recommendations mostly died with her.

We examine the Bush Administration policies that have cruelly shortchanged family planning programs worldwide. Lack of family planning services directly influences growth, overcrowding, instability and migrations of people.

We look at labor economics. Who are the real winners? Who are the losers? Who gets exploited? Who ultimately pays the price?

We end with the Cesar Chavez on immigration. He opposed illegal immigration because it exploited poor people and undermined his life's work to unionize farm workers. Speaking of cultural identity, he said, "Kindness and compassion toward all living things is a mark of a civilized society. Conversely, cruelty, whether it is directed against human beings or against animals, is not the exclusive province of any one culture or community of people. Racism, economic deprival, dog fighting and cock fighting, bull fighting and rodeos are cut from the same fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent toward all life will we have learned to live well ourselves."