Two colors of immigration

Immigration. The word to me brings to mind memories of old, faded, black and white photographs of long since passed relatives that were gone before I was even a twinkle in my old man's eye. My family is a family of immigrants. All branches, from all over Europe. There's Great Grandfather Seymour who joined the Union Army at age 14 with his older brother and father. Survived the war, settled in my home town, and proceeded to sire my grandfather at the ripe old age of 72. His mother was off the boat from Germany and I'm happy to say they both rest peacefully beneath the Civil War monument at a local cemetery.

My father's people came from Poland and Slovakia, brought to the US by the desire for a better life. I have a picture scanned from an old company newspaper showing all twelve of them. Most all of them shoe workers, brought to town - not by a New Deal - but rather George F. Johnson's promise of "Square Deal." That is, you work hard, and we'll be fair and honest with you. And by far that Square Deal seemed to hold, at least until the Johnson family decided to get out of the shoe business. The new owners weren't quite so enamored with a positive relationship between owner and worker.

My wife's lineage has been tracked back to Scotland and England in the seventeenth century. Her aunt wanted to join the Daughter's of the American Revolution, and that was a requirement.

My point is, even though being born in America and technically not an immigrant, I feel like one. My past is tied to memories of Polish and Slovak festivals, Irish dance festivals, extended families so large I couldn't remember them all if I did it for a living. Other Americans may not feel the same way, but like it or not, we're all immigrants. We all come from somewhere else. Some Native Americans and Latinos like to claim they are the original owners of this country and we should bow to them. Hate to break the news, but they are immigrants too. Current archeological academics believe humanity started in Africa, which means they immigrated here too, most likely across the "theorized" land bridge at the Bearing Straits.

By fact of being human, we all migrate. From house to house, from city to city, from state to state, from country to country, we humans are always in search of a better way, a better life, a Square Deal, where we can have a home, a job, a place to raise a family. It's human nature. And it's a good thing.

But there is a difference between legal immigration and illegal immigration. The former occurs when one follows the processes and procedures to achieve legal status to be in this country. It can be done. The fact that I'm alive to type this is proof enough. On the other hand, the fact that there are an estimated twelve million illegal immigrants in these United States is proof that you don't need to go through the proper channels.

As a Catholic, I've heard the declarations from Bishops who proclaim that everyone should be allowed in, and it's our duty as Christians to welcome strangers and those in need of help. I agree. But where do we draw the line? Unlimited opportunity and assistance will draw as many people for as long as the helping hand is extended.

As the child of immigrants, I have no problem with immigration. Personally I believe America needs them as much as they need America. After a few generations in America, people seem to get fat, dumb and happy, they start to fall into the entitlement mentality - a product of FDR's New Deal. America needs people hungry for success, thirsting for opportunity. It invigorates the rest of us. Reminds us of the promise America holds for us. Work hard, play by the rules, maybe get a little further than your parents, and pray you children make it a little further than you. After all, isn't that the American Dream?

But there is a difference between legal and illegal immigration. There's no doubt about it, no way to get around the issue. We've got twelve million of them in our country. They're our neighbors, our fellow workers, they sit next to us in the pews at Church on Sunday. There's no way Americans will stand for deporting twelve million people. The mere sight of armies of police rounding up twelve million people would cause such havoc, it just ain't going to happen. Even I can see that. The alternative is to grant amnesty to them, which only adds to the bait for more to come. As with most important issues, its far too complicated to be explained in the thirty seconds of so Bob Schieffer and the CBS Evening News will allot to it.

I don't have any answers to the above questions. But I do know this. America is an idea founded on the bedrock of individual freedom and responsibility, respect for our fellow Americans, and respect for the law. Just as some Americans cursed the arrival of my ancestors to "their" country, so do now some people curse the arrival of new immigrants, both legal and illegal. But as long as our new citizens, legal or illegal, can learn, understand, and follow the American dream, America will live on. Of that, I have no doubt.