“Francisco was up front about his legal status issues, but Alison presumed as they dated and moved toward marriage that, if he married a US citizen, this could be resolved easily. In hindsight, Alison says she was naive about immigration issues, having grown up in an ethnically homogeneous community where she had no real personal interaction with immigrants. If anything, she was confused by why Francisco wouldn’t have just come legally in the first place: “As Americans,†she says, “We have this skewed perspective. Since we can go anywhere, [we presume] anyone can go anywhere; since we can just fill out the paperwork, [we suppose] anyone can just fill out the paperwork†and be given legal status.â€Â – From Soerens and Yang (2018), “‘Aliens’ among you: Who are undocumented immigrants?†Welcoming the Stranger, Chapter 2, p. 32
Chapter 2 Summary: Who are the immigrants among us?
This chapter focuses on answering the question “Who are the immigrants among us?†Despite being a nation of immigrants, it is very clear from our public conversations that relatively few Americans have meaningful relationships with recent immigrants. The assumptions that we share about the immigration system, the reasons why people migrate to the United States, how people reach this land, and the processes and procedures we have in place to protect our country do not reflect the complexity of the situation. [Read more…] about The “Aliens†Among You. Part 4 of Welcoming the Stranger Series