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Dear Phoenix Resident,
I am writing this letter to tell you how my view of Immigration Issues has changed over the past few months. After attending and participating in Professor Koptiuch's class, my eyes have been opened to the deeper issues that encompass the questions of Immigration.Immigration was never an issue for my family as I was growing up. As fourth generation immigrants, all the family we knew were already living in the States, with any connection to family in Mexico lost many years ago.
The first immigration issue I can remember hearing about was Proposition 187 which was passed in 1994 by the California voters. I can remember feeling very angry about the proposition being past and not understanding why the Mexican immigrants were not wanted there. From that time on, my view of immigration issues was based on my own biased view. I only saw it as a form of racism, but remained ignorant of all the other issues that stem from immigration. After learning how the issues reach far beyond racial prejudice and reach into our very economy, I feel much more strongly than I ever have before. In today's global economy, we must embrace the immigrants coming into our nation in order to maintain any level of competition with nations that can effectively take advantage of the immigrants working in their country. It is my hope that in the next few years, an immigration policy will develop that will strengthen the American economy and provide opportunity for the people wanting to come into the United States to work and live.
I ask that you, Phoenix resident, look past any misconceptions you may have about legal or illegal immigration, and consider what kind of world we are building for our children. When my daughters are grown and on their own, I pray that there will be a healthy U.S. economy there to support them and allow them to grow to their full potential in the work place.
Sincerely,
David A. De La O