Remembering during this Independence Day holiday, how proud my husband was to be an American!  Italian-born, proud of his heritage, but an American. Living in Boston, engrossed in the Italian culture and heritage, it was clear to me that although this group of Italians held a strong love for their home country, they were all very proud to be Americans.

After immigrating to the United States, the Italians that I have come to know and love, are hard-working people who came to America for the opportunity.  They came over not knowing the language, culture, or anything about the surrounding area where they now live. They went to school and learned how to speak English. They learned how to dress like the Americans dressed. They learned how to adapt to American culture. And years later, they are ever so proud of how they conquered, learned, adapted, and found the American dream.

The dream did not come easy, this group of hard-working Americans came with nothing. Just the clothes on their back. They worked hard in every area of their life to succeed. These are people who have accepted me into their culture and their families. They are people who have adapted to the United States. The United States did not adapt to them.

These early immigrants did not expect Americans to change their ways for the diverse cultures entering the country. These immigrants are expected to work hard, learn the language, and figure out how to adapt to this new culture.  They expected it would be hard; it was difficult and often lonely.  When they earned citizenship, they were very proud to be Americans. They did not forget their heritage, but they were now Americans.

Early in my twenties, I was exposed to diverse cultures trying to make a better life for their families. In graduate school, foreign exchange students would come over to earn a degree, and often their family members would come along, also.  While one was earning an education, other VERY educated family members were working minimum-wage jobs trying to make ends meet to stay in America.  

Working in the garment industry, I was surrounded by immigrants. It was an environment that I thrived on. I loved to see, hear, smell, and watch all the different cultures uniting and working as one. So many different diverse groups of very smart individuals working as seamstresses, cutters, pattern makers, quality control, warehouse workers, truck drivers, etc. All working to succeed and catch that American dream.

When I lived in Boston, I always wondered how the city would survive without immigrants working and producing for our economy. Everywhere I went there were diverse groups of people.   Often these groups of immigrants were working jobs that many white Americans were not willing to labor.  Filling a void, trying to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Some of the people closest to my heart, some of my most trusted friends, and some of the hardest-working people I know have been on boats trying to get back to our country.  Caught at the border, put into separate jails, waiting to be sent back to their home country.  These are people who had legally entered the country, hard-working, yet their documents expired and they had to return to their home country. Unable to adequately feed their family in their home country, they were willing to risk everything to provide a better life.  Unlike me, I was born into a family, living in a nation, that provided me freedom and the American dream.  

I don’t know enough about immigration to speak intelligently about the subject.  Nor do I know enough to intelligently give my opinion. But what I will say, is most of the immigrants I have been exposed to, who came over to build a life for themselves, are hard-working individuals.  

Although I don’t have an educated opinion on allowing immigrants into the country, how many, the timing, or if it should be allowed at all; what I do know is that it is a very confusing, very complicated, subject. It is a subject that I avoid speaking about because I feel very torn on the positive and negative effects on our country.  I do pray for grace, love, and hope for our immigrants and that our country will deliver a sound immigration policy.  I have faith that love will prevail because I live for something greater.

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