In the past few months I graduated from law school, sat for the bar exam, and accepted a job practicing law in the United States of America.
As a first generation American, born to undocumented parents, I welled with pride on the day of my graduation as I watched my mother rejoice, knowing her dreams of “watching my children blossom in this great country” were manifesting.
More than 30 years ago, my parents traveled from Nigeria to the U.S. hoping to provide their children with the endless educational and career opportunities available to its citizens. When I walk into a U.S. courthouse to be sworn in as an Attorney, my mother will again rejoice. But while there are millions of children with non-citizen parents, most of their mothers will never see the dreams they have for their children materialize.
As a nation, we claim to care about our citizens. We are even more committed, in theory, to protecting our country’s children. Yet our leaders have consistently failed to approve the passage of laws to protect undocumented families. Their failure is destroying opportunities for countless American children; simply because their parents are not citizens. Where parents are unable to receive education and employment opportunities, their children are often forced to grow up impoverished ― increasing the cycle of generational poverty.
My father was deported before I turned six, leaving my mother to care for her two children alone. Throughout my childhood, I watched as my mother unsuccessfully struggled to try to provide my brother and me with the same opportunities and necessities as our classmates enjoyed. I grew to understand that our circumstances were not the result of my mother’s shortcomings as a parent but rather because as a non-citizen school and job opportunities were unavailable to her. Our lives were disrupted time and time again as we were forced to move between countless apartments and hotels. I later learned that this was because of her inability to seek support as an undocumented parent. Although she loved her children as much as any American parent could, my mother had to face the reality that under the current immigration system, she would not be able to adequately care for her son and daughter.
As the number of children born to undocumented immigrants continues to rise, it becomes increasingly more important to support undocumented parents if we are serious about breaking the cycle of generational poverty in this country. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, in 2012, there were 4.5 million U.S.-born children younger than 18 living with unauthorized-immigrant parents. According to another study conducted by the Center for American Progress, 16.6 million people lived with at least one non-citizen family member in 2012. Some see these statistics as fodder to argue for stricter border patrol. But that position ignores the reality that many of our children will continue to have undocumented parents. It is a hard-hearted view that fails to see the humanity of the children impacted and to consider their lives as valuable as other American children. But despite the hateful rhetoric of some, we must expect our political leaders to care about all of our nation’s children. Sadly, they have not.
In 2007, former president George W. Bush stated his commitment to allowing undocumented immigrants to come out of hiding. He proposed legislation that would have granted temporary legal status to all illegal immigrants in the country, while allowing them to apply for residence visas and eventual citizenship. His proposal was met with bipartisan attack.
In 2014, President Obama introduced his plan to shield the nearly 4 million undocumented immigrants in the country, seeking to prevent some undocumented immigrants from deportation and to provide others with temporary work permits. This effort was criticized by majority leaders and struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, which found Obama’s Executive Order to exceed his scope of authority.
Our failure to support undocumented families and their U.S. citizen children has left many with a sense of hopelessness. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s rhetoric makes clear that undocumented immigrants and their “anchor babies” are unwelcome and unwanted. The Court’s ruling reinforces this hateful thinking as a national value. Sadly, most of our nation’s leaders fail to recognize that in order for our country to thrive, undocumented parents and their U.S. citizen children must be given the opportunity to participate fully in mainstream society. Our nation has always prospered as immigrants succeeded. Our next president must challenge this anti-immigrant mindset if our country is to continue to compete in the global market.
This election season serves as the last bit of hope for many families. Depending on the outcome, many families will either keep their heads low until pro-immigration reform passes, or throw in the towel and prepare to “self-deport.” In doing so they will leave behind families and the country that many, like my mom, have regarded as home for decades. Many U.S. citizen children may also “self deport” to reunite with their families- a decision that none of our children should ever have to make. Despite our disagreements, Americans all believe that our children, equipped with the right tools and exposure, can be the next generation of world leaders. But we must provide a solid foundation for all of America’s children, which means supporting our children’s parents- even if they are undocumented.