by Staci Fonner, Assoc. Print Editor (Op-Ed)
These were the words of
several illegal Chinese immigrants on board the Golden Venture, a ship that ran
aground in New York City in 1993. The ship carried 286 desperate immigrants, many
attempting to escape China’s one-child birth control policy.
“America is the land of
dreams. Everyone knows that.”
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| Survivors of the Golden Venture, June 1993 © Paul DeMaria/NYTimes |
Documented in the film Golden Venture, these immigrants gave
up almost everything in the hope of working in America to send money back to
their families.
“I had no choice but to go
to America,” one immigrant said. “My wife was pregnant with our second
daughter, and they burned our house to the ground.”
As a student of immigration
law, I have seen stories most Americans wouldn’t believe. While I hope they
never experience anything like these stories, I wish they knew these tales of
horror so they could thank their lucky stars that they were born in the land of
dreams.
On the ship, which was piloted
by professional smugglers called “snakeheads,” the immigrants only had enough
room to stand in. The few women aboard were raped, and many passengers were
beaten. They knew it would be a grueling trip. Each immigrant paid at least
$30,000 and spent months at sea. But what did they get in return?
Ten died in the New York
harbor. The rest were detained and given two options: stay in jail, or go back
to China.
After being fed lies that
China had improved, 99 immigrants went back, where they were detained, beaten,
forcibly sterilized, and now carry a name of disgrace. Those who stayed were
imprisoned a total of four years before being paroled by President Bill
Clinton. This didn’t give them a legal status, so they still live with the fear
of being deported.
This story is mild
compared to others I have seen. The world of immigration is full of tragedy:
wives of U.S. citizens or permanent residents are beaten and abused, children
grow up not knowing they are “illegal,” people see their families killed right
in front of their eyes. No, Americans have not seen the truly horrible.
So why do they try to come
here? To take our jobs?
Most of them work jobs
that no one else will take, work harder than anyone else, and earn much less
than anyone else.
To steal our resources?
It is difficult even for
immigrants with a legal status to
obtain government benefits: Immigrants must be a Lawful Permanent Resident (the
highest on the rung of immigration statuses, except naturalization) for at
least five years before being
eligible for these benefits, including food stamps, cash assistance and medical
assistance.
To ruin our economy?
The IRS doesn’t care if
you are here legally or not—even illegal immigrants pay taxes.
No, they come here because
they have dreams. Dreams of a better life, of a safe life, a free life. They
come here to pursue the desires of their hearts because in their countries,
those desires are stamped out like the remnants of a smoldering fire.
So, to the American who
complains about work, to the one who thinks life is over at 50, to the one who sits
on the couch just waiting for life to happen to him: shame on you. This is
America, where 100-year-olds graduate college and people can have as many
children as they want. This is the country where help is available and everyone
gets a vote. This is the country where you can say anything you want to say, believe
anything you want to believe, go
anywhere you want to go, and do
anything you want to do.
This is the land of dreams. And you don’t
know how lucky you are to be here.
