I Am a Felon, Though I Did Not Get Caught
Twice this Labor Day Weekend I violated the law for which I could be charged and convicted of a felony. What did I do that was so bad? I knowingly transported an illegal immigrant and thus helped to conceal him from authorities.
The illegal alien I transported is a student at my school and a nearly life long resident of Oklahoma. He is a great kid. He is a terrific student, humble and unassuming and has perhaps the best work ethic of any young person that I have ever met. His work ethic is demonstrated through his commitment to sport where he has shown a capacity to train harder than few people are willing to do. All of this while holding down two jobs.
Earlier this summer I had suggested college and that perhaps he could maybe get a small scholarship for the sport he works so hard at. He shrugged and said that while he wanted to go to college, there was some problems with trying to attend.
This weekend, I decided to bring the subject up again because for two months I was frustrated that such a promising young student may not go to college. I suspected that it might be an immigration issue but was not for sure. I finally worked up the courage to ask very bluntly whether it was his immigration status that was keeping him from college and he said that it was.
I tried to be very encouraging. I told him to speak to counselors and others at various colleges as they may have ways to help him. But in the end, I am not sure how much Oklahoma could help him because of the aforementioned law.
The law is Oklahoma HB 1804 and it has a whole series of limitations on immigrants including that police are suppose to check identification, businesses who hire illegals can be fined, and financial aid for education (even loans and scholarships) are to be excluded. A friend who works at Cameron University told me that had to revoke a scholarship because of a students illegal status.
It is hard for me to contain my anger for the people who supported this law. Though I am not sure, I would bet that my Democratic Senator (Kenneth Corn) and Representative (Neil Brannon) probably supported the bill. My state representatives have lacked the spine (or intellect) to stand up to dumb Republican initiatives for several years. It is hard to distinguish between them and tea party members.
Historically, we have always had racist immigration policies. In the 1880s, the United States Congress actually passed a law called the Chinese Exclusion Act. For most of the twentieth century, our immigration policy was far more restrictive toward non-whites. Even those of European descent that were not WASP suffered immense persecution. Only under LBJ and a 1965 immigration reform law did we begin to more equally admit people from non-European countries. The result was that the vast majority of immigrants began to come from Latin America and Asia.
For supporters of HB1804, they must have watched in horror as their world changed. Randy Terrill (the author of the bill) must of hated going to Wal-Mart and hearing people speaking Spanish. He probably resented their worship of the Pope and was sure they had terrible body odor. So Terrill was going to do something and by arousing fear and paranoia among an uneducated Oklahoma voting population, he was able to do just that.
So where does that leave us? The student I know is like thousands across Oklahoma. They will be unable to attend college. They will be less productive. Their opportunities will always be limited. They will constantly live in fear of deportation and separation from their families. They will continually struggle to make ends meet. They will always be second class citizens.
Oklahoma (and the United States) actually needs immigration. Birth rates are at historic lows. If not for immigration, we could be suffering the same fate as Russia or Japan who because of low birth rates are expected to drastically lose population and the remaining population will be much older leaving far fewer in the workforce and far more that are in retirement. The result is a stagnant economy and a shrinking GDP that will only lessen standard of living, income, not to mention global power and status.
But supporters of HB1804 like things the way they are. Immigrants need to cut up the chicken at a processing plant and clean their hotel room. But please don't clean my room when I'm their as then I will have to look at you and Randy Terrill does not want to look at you. They want you to go back to Mexico.
Like the Chinese Exclusion Act and the new immigration law in Arizona, this law is racist. I'm sure that the supporters of HB 1804 would adamantly deny that charge. But get them alone after they have come home from Wal-Mart and seen hispanics shopping, I am sure they would reveal their true motivations.
The illegal alien I transported is a student at my school and a nearly life long resident of Oklahoma. He is a great kid. He is a terrific student, humble and unassuming and has perhaps the best work ethic of any young person that I have ever met. His work ethic is demonstrated through his commitment to sport where he has shown a capacity to train harder than few people are willing to do. All of this while holding down two jobs.
Earlier this summer I had suggested college and that perhaps he could maybe get a small scholarship for the sport he works so hard at. He shrugged and said that while he wanted to go to college, there was some problems with trying to attend.
This weekend, I decided to bring the subject up again because for two months I was frustrated that such a promising young student may not go to college. I suspected that it might be an immigration issue but was not for sure. I finally worked up the courage to ask very bluntly whether it was his immigration status that was keeping him from college and he said that it was.
I tried to be very encouraging. I told him to speak to counselors and others at various colleges as they may have ways to help him. But in the end, I am not sure how much Oklahoma could help him because of the aforementioned law.
The law is Oklahoma HB 1804 and it has a whole series of limitations on immigrants including that police are suppose to check identification, businesses who hire illegals can be fined, and financial aid for education (even loans and scholarships) are to be excluded. A friend who works at Cameron University told me that had to revoke a scholarship because of a students illegal status.
It is hard for me to contain my anger for the people who supported this law. Though I am not sure, I would bet that my Democratic Senator (Kenneth Corn) and Representative (Neil Brannon) probably supported the bill. My state representatives have lacked the spine (or intellect) to stand up to dumb Republican initiatives for several years. It is hard to distinguish between them and tea party members.
Historically, we have always had racist immigration policies. In the 1880s, the United States Congress actually passed a law called the Chinese Exclusion Act. For most of the twentieth century, our immigration policy was far more restrictive toward non-whites. Even those of European descent that were not WASP suffered immense persecution. Only under LBJ and a 1965 immigration reform law did we begin to more equally admit people from non-European countries. The result was that the vast majority of immigrants began to come from Latin America and Asia.
For supporters of HB1804, they must have watched in horror as their world changed. Randy Terrill (the author of the bill) must of hated going to Wal-Mart and hearing people speaking Spanish. He probably resented their worship of the Pope and was sure they had terrible body odor. So Terrill was going to do something and by arousing fear and paranoia among an uneducated Oklahoma voting population, he was able to do just that.
So where does that leave us? The student I know is like thousands across Oklahoma. They will be unable to attend college. They will be less productive. Their opportunities will always be limited. They will constantly live in fear of deportation and separation from their families. They will continually struggle to make ends meet. They will always be second class citizens.
Oklahoma (and the United States) actually needs immigration. Birth rates are at historic lows. If not for immigration, we could be suffering the same fate as Russia or Japan who because of low birth rates are expected to drastically lose population and the remaining population will be much older leaving far fewer in the workforce and far more that are in retirement. The result is a stagnant economy and a shrinking GDP that will only lessen standard of living, income, not to mention global power and status.
But supporters of HB1804 like things the way they are. Immigrants need to cut up the chicken at a processing plant and clean their hotel room. But please don't clean my room when I'm their as then I will have to look at you and Randy Terrill does not want to look at you. They want you to go back to Mexico.
Like the Chinese Exclusion Act and the new immigration law in Arizona, this law is racist. I'm sure that the supporters of HB 1804 would adamantly deny that charge. But get them alone after they have come home from Wal-Mart and seen hispanics shopping, I am sure they would reveal their true motivations.
"The student I know is like thousands across Oklahoma. They will be unable to attend college. They will be less productive. Their opportunities will always be limited. They will constantly live in fear of deportation and separation from their families. They will continually struggle to make ends meet. They will always be second class citizens."
ReplyDeleteThat makes my stomach churn. When I was an admissions advisor at Rose, I counseled several students who had immigration status issues and it always broke my heart, because these were A students who were often working to support or help support a family. When someone at work would make a racist or bigoted statement, I'd simply reply to them in Spanish and then remind them that I had relatives in Tahlequah who still weren't happy about THEM being in Oklahoma.