From One Immigrant to Another: Much Will be Asked of You. Prepare to Give

Guest blogger: Kokeb Zeleke, second-year law student, University of San Francisco

Dear soon-to-be-immigrant,
   
Who are you? And why are you leaving your home? Is it freedom, dignity, or happiness that you seek? And are you privileged enough to find a legal way to escape your poverty? Or did you bribe that corrupt man at the embassy that holds your whole world in his hands? Don’t worry, he once held mine too.

Or must you fight again? And endure a long road of trials and tribulations to claim your chance for a better life? If so, be careful. Your journey might cost you a piece of your soul. But before you begin your journey, before you kiss your daughter goodbye just one last time, know what your destination will be like. So, pay attention.

Once here, you will be immersed in a culture that will absolutely criminalize you for being an immigrant. The misery you bear will only give you the name of criminal, which I know you are not. You will be persecuted by many for your race. Your accent. Your looks. Your gender. Your religion. Freedom carries a different look. Sometimes it comes in shackles in detention camps.

And are you perhaps seeking refuge? Be careful with that. Is your truth believable enough? Different enough? Convincing enough? If your reality lacks originality, you might (just might) be denied protection. And you will be sent back to the horrors of your world. War. Or lack of hope. I don’t even know which is worse. But don’t worry, the person sitting on the other side of the table during your interview probably has extensive academic knowledge of your country. And that should be enough, right?

What’s that? Have they ever hidden in basements to escape massacre? Do they know what fear feels like when police officers knock on your door at 3 am to arrest you for being born in the wrong country? Were they castrated as a form of punishment and then ostracized by their community? Do they hide from fireworks because it reminds them too much of the bullets that killed their fathers?

Well, maybe. Probably not. I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. Just make sure your truth is believable. Watch your demeanor. Speak up. Forget everything your mother taught you about manners, and look at people straight in the eyes when you speak. It’s ok. That is not disrespectful. And that trauma you are hiding from the world, and from yourself, do you remember that one? I know you are trying to move past the horrors life has caused you, and I’m so sorry for that. But you need to remember your pain. If you don’t, no one will.

Also, whenever someone commits a crime here in this country, remember to get on your knees and pray, hard, to whomever you believe in, that this person is not your color, is not from your country, or your religion. Because the actions of a complete stranger, a thousand miles away, are a direct reflection on your identity. You will end up paying for it. If you are unlucky, and it so happens that this stranger is in fact a reflection of you, you will have to learn how to apologize. But I beg of you, please, DO NOT APOLOGIZE. Here, they apply success to individuals, and failures to a group. When one succeeds, it is because of the fruit of their hard work. When they fail, it is because they are part of a certain culture.

Yes, unless they are Native Americans, everyone here is an immigrant. Or a child of immigrants. But how quickly they forget their flaws. They have yet to learn from history. And their own mistakes. They inflict upon others, that which they once fled.

Has anyone told you about raids yet? That’s when enforcement officials will come to your job, unannounced and arrest hundreds of people. Yes, forget that you are a hard worker trying to earn a dignified living, supporting your family. Persecutions exist everywhere, they just come in different colored uniforms. Dignity might escape you sometimes. And if you ever loose sight of it, remember to look into your daughter’s eyes. There, you will always find yourself.

Have you learned how to say goodbye to your loved one? You should. Teach your lips to kiss goodbye. It will leave a bitter taste afterwards. But it is necessary because it might be the last thing your daughter remembers of you. Because one day, you might be stopped at a traffic light. You will be detained, and not allowed to see her for months. Or years. She will probably not know where you are either, and she will be very worried. So please, for her sake and yours, learn how to say goodbye to your loved one. Everyday. Don’t let happiness lose its worth.

But it’s alright. Don’t misplace your hope. You stand on the shoulders of giants. There are countless of us who are fighting for things to be better. And things will be better. I know you will never forget the wounds life inflicts upon you. Promise me this, teach your daughters about your scars. Once an immigrant, always an immigrant. Wear it like a badge of honor. And never ever apologize for it. Your struggles will never be devalued in the eyes of the millions of people who are here, who once were just like you, not too long ago. They are waiting for you to join them. They too have learned to kiss goodbye.

Dear soon-to-be-immigrant,
Too much will be asked of you. Prepare to give.

Yours truly,

Once an immigrant, always an immigrant

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