What Immigrants Really Want--And Why Bush's Plan Won't Stop Them

As the daughter of Mexican immigrants, I've been overwhelmed with optimism and pride by the passionate demonstrations that have taken place across the country in recent months.

My father came to the United States by himself at the age of 17. He left behind everything that was safe in Mexico, to come to a foreign country to learn a foreign language and foreign customs, all for his chance at the American dream. My father loves America for it's promise, freedom and opportunity. My parents believed so much in the optimism of the Kennedy era that they actually named my brother and I after the Kennedys. (We're the only Mexicans I know named Jackie and John!) Through this kind of commitment to the American dream, and through many years of hard work and sacrifice, my parents built a life for us here that they never could have imagined in Mexico.

As inspiring as their story is to me, I know it's not unique. The same story has been repeated on American soil for generations. And that's why I support today's immigrants in their fight to claim their own slice of the American dream.

But as high as I've been lifted by the display of solidarity we've seen in the streets, I've been equally dismayed by the mainstream media's coverage of the movement.

I marched with 750,000 others in Los Angeles on May 1, where in spite of such a massive turnout, there was not a single incident with the police. That doesn't sound like a group of criminals to me. Yet when I got home and turned on the television, all I heard was "illegal, illegal, illegal, illegal." All I heard was that the rallies were in support of illegal immigration.

But those rallies were not in support of illegal immigration. They were in support of the American dream. They were in support of the idea that if you come to America, and if you work hard, sacrifice, and play by the rules, you can build a life for yourself and your family, and pass on to your children the opportunity to make even better lives for themselves. Those rallies were in support of the American dream. And there's nothing illegal about that.

One of the great ironies of American history is that each new wave of immigrants, after fighting for decades to establish themselves, attempts to slam the door behind them.

Now, President Bush is taking that process a step further with his decision to station the military, which is largely comprised of immigrants and minorities, along our border. The president has tried to entice immigrants to join the military with promises of fast-tracked citizenship. What he doesn't tell you is that you only actually get fast-tracked citizenship if you're killed.

But the promise has still led many immigrants to enlist, and now Bush is stationning them on the border, essentially to stop their own families from following them into America.

The American dream, however, is too powerful for that. As great as our military is, there is no number of troops large enough to stop it. There is no wall high enough to contain it. And there isn't enough xenophobia and ignorance in the world to silence its call.

In fact, while some right-wingers are eager to say that the pro-immigrant rallies accomplished little, and that the movement is already fading, the opposite is true. The religious, labor, and community groups that organized the rallies have formed the new We Are America Alliance, and they plan to produce one million new citizens and voters by November.

In other words, like generations before them, today's immigrants are taking the next step in their assimilation: they're becoming politically active. And that's one of the most patriotic things that any citizen can do.

So the next time a balding white guy on TV tells you that people are rallying in support of illegal immigration, don't be fooled. And if getting into an elevator with two Mexicans makes you and your white-hooded friends nervous, get ready to piss yourself. Because now we're not just here to work--we're voting!