Open Letter,                                                                                                                     5-13-03

I would like to address the citizens of the United States, the citizens who feel ill towards immigrants who come into this country.

We can’t condemn the people who were not fortunate enough to be born here. We should not let the fact that they want to be here influence our opinion of them. People want to come here for a number of reasons. We should not judge them because we don’t understand the conditions behind their reasons.

They do not come here with the intent of taking jobs or anything else away from the people who are fortunate enough to be here already. They simply want to share the opportunities that seem to be available to every U.S. citizen. Being free is thought of by Americans to be a God-given right. It seems God doesn’t travel the globe and grant this right as liberally as he does here. If some one wants to be free to pursue careers, education, families, religions and leisure activities we should not deny them those opportunities just because they did not receive the same grace of God that we Americans did. Being free should not be something that we hoard. We should want to share it to better the lives of everyone

Many immigrants make great sacrifices: leaving their families, their belongings their status in their communities and sometimes event their lives to vie for the same rights Americans take for granted.

So, before we pass judgment on those who want to be here we need to examine their situation. This may best be done by "walking a mile in their shoes". Considering some of their journeys many Americans wouldn’t want to make this journey, And, luckily for them, they don’t need to make the journey, for most, it was made by someone in their family who immigrated from somewhere else in search of the better life and freedom in America.

Thank You,

Diane Harnage