On February 16th, 2017,America saw what it would be like without immigrants. This day was known as “A Day Without Immigrants,” where many immigrants skipped work, didn’t shop at malls, didn’t eat out at restaurants, didn’t buy gas, and didn’t even send their kids to school. As a result, many schools were missing half of their student body, restaurants and fast food places had to close down since no workers showed up, and many malls and stores lacked the usual amount of customers.
“A Day Without Immigrants” should’ve opened many American’s eyes; not because immigrants didn’t go to work that day, but the reason why they didn’t go. We need to see what they’re protesting, instead of how they protested. This day came after the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency arrested more than 680 immigrants in 11 states, by raids across the U.S. This protest is standing up for the immigrants who were wrongly accused because they weren’t considered “truly from here.”What does it even mean to be “truly from here”? No one is truly from here; we just have people whose ancestors have been here longer than others. Does one’s ancestors being here longer give them more rights as an American, than someone who just immigrated here?“What does it even take to be an American citizen?” I believe this is one of the hardest questions to ask. With this question, everyone’s answers are different, so overall it’s what you think. However, one thing I know for sure is that once you are here, living on American soil, then you are a part of America as any “real” citizen.
Not all immigrants are citizens, yet both sides still face profiling, so they protested to stand up against it. They were protesting that they are just as important to this nation, and they are just as much a part of it as anyone else. About 13% (around 14 million) of the U.S.is made up of immigrants, and without them, America wouldn’t be able to function suitably. We are one of the most diverse nations around, and that’s what makes us have our own term known as the “American Dream”. If you take immigrants away, then there is no more dream, there isn’t really an America anymore either. Through their protesting, all they ask for is respect and equality. They came to a new country in the hopes of a better life. We all started out that way. Our ancestors came here for something different, something better, and where they found that was here; so let today’s immigrants find that something better here too. Give them the equal right our ancestors fought for them to have now, as they immigrated here. Let’s not destroy the hard work of our past by changing our present ways for the belief that we will have a better future from it.
