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The question of what it really means to be an American has layers of complexities wrapped into one big blanket of history, culture, and identity. Our nation prides itself on being a “Nation of immigrants,” built on the foundations of promises and freedom. We’re the country of right to opportunity, to fresh starts. However, lately it seems the various laws that govern who gets to enter and claim promise are in disarray. This reflects the inherent irony that America, a country of immigrants at its core, now seems to be doing everything it can to restrict access to its shores.
Immigration laws in the United States are, to put it simply, a jumbled mess. The laws constantly change with the shift of new political winds and tear at the fabric of fairness and embody contradictions that would make the most seasoned satirists smirk. All in one breath, the United States touts its history of welcoming the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” and in the next, it builds walls both literal and metaphorical designed to keep those masses at arm’s length.
The irony is palpable. Consider the most recent debates around asylum seekers, border policies, and prevention. For years, the U.S. has prided itself on being the beacon of hope for those fleeing oppression and violence, but today, thousands of people are being forced to wait in dangerous conditions, often denied due process or fair hearings. Asylum laws meant to protect the vulnerable have been muddled in bureaucracy and red tape as if those ideals of justice and compassion are now an inconvenience.
Meanwhile, the process for legal immigration has been an obstacle course that takes years, if not decades, to navigate. Visa lotteries, work permits, green card backlogs, and the endless amount of paperwork are all part of a system that seems designed to discourage rather than encourage people to come. The supposed “American Dream” often feels more like a game of change rather than a guaranteed promise. But perhaps even more ironic is how immigration law has become a tool of division. Politicians–especially those on the far right– use immigration as a wedge issue, framing it as a problem that needs solving by any means necessary. In the same breath, President-elect Donal Trump says immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country” and holds the hand of his Slovenian-born wife who became a citizen in 2006. The very policies they advocate for, aimed at limiting the number of newcomers, would have made it far more difficult for their own forebears to stake a claim in this land of opportunity.And yet, the paradox deepens. The U.S. is a country founded on the labor, talent, and ingenuity of immigrants. Silicon Valley wouldn’t exist without the vision of those who came from overseas to build the tech empire. The agricultural industry would collapse without the workers who toil in the fields for minuscule pay, many of whom are undocumented. It’s because of these people we are able to get food on our tables and the thanks they get is being accosted from their beds and thrown into prisons waiting to ship them back to the horrors of their pasts.
America’s contradictions are, in many ways, its essence. We are a country of bold promises and relentless exclusions, of towering ideals and deeply entrenched inequalities. The irony, of course, is that while we deny entry to some, we are simultaneously denying our own identity. How can we define “American” without acknowledging that the majority of people who call this place home either came from somewhere else or are descendants of those who did?
If America is truly a land of immigrants in some shape or form, then it must embrace the reality of that legacy. It must confront the ugly irony that its laws often betray the spirit of inclusion and opportunity that has defined this nation for centuries. To be American, in its truest sense, is to recognize that our strength lies in our giant melting pot of diversity. Without this recognition, we risk becoming a country that no longer represents the ideas it once espoused which I fear we are getting close to.
Julia Butensky is a sophomore and a Contributing Writer. She can be reached at Jbutensk@fandm.edu.