We live at a time of highly-polarized politics when solutions to every problem are categorized into two predetermined categories: liberal and conservative. Such a system has prevented people from becoming psychologically prepared for the idea that a third solution that combines the first two may be as legitimate or even the best way of addressing a problem. In no other case is that example truer than in the case of immigration. So as a human rights defender who has a background in economics and public policy and also is a Persian immigrant, I want to briefly share my immigration story with you and what we can learn from it.
I was born in Tehran in 1982. I have a brother who is five years older. Ever since before my birth, my father dreamt of taking his family to the United States where they could live in a free country, have a good life and allow their children to take advantage of the opportunities that this country had to offer. But as much as he wanted to immigrate to the U.S., he was committed to do so legally. He took his family to Turkey to the American embassy to apply for visas in the late 1980s, but he was denied. We visited Turkey again for the same purpose a few years later and were denied again. We visited Cyprus to attempt to get visas and were denied for the third time. My father also applied for the annual green card lottery for about 10 years. He finally caught a break in 1996 when he won the lottery and got an interview for the whole family.
But that break lasted for a short time as my brother was at a critical age between high school and college at the time and could not legally exit Iran to have his interview in Turkey. The U.S. immigration authorities would not give him an extension longer than a couple of weeks. The three of us received our green cards but could not move to America because we didn't want to leave my brother behind. So my mother reapplied for green card for my brother and she, my father and I went back to Iran to wait with my brother for his green card. But time ran out for me, and in 1999, I had the option of moving to the United States at age 16 by myself or stay in Iran and be drafted to serve in the army. I took the first option and moved to Chicago alone. My parents traveled back and forth because they could no longer be with both their sons at the same time. My brother's green card came through just last year after 10 years of waiting, and he moved to the United States two weeks ago, at age 29 and after having waited a third of his life for a better life. But now, he has to wait even longer because he is married but cannot legally obtain a green card for his wife in a speedy way. I haven't seen my mother since 2005, my father is now 70 years old and it breaks my heart every time I think about the fact that our two families remain broken up to this day.
There are two lessons that my story offers, one of which is directed toward those who want to immigrate to the United States or have already done so; throughout this disheartening two decades of waiting and hardship and even while Iran was in a deadly war with Iraq, my parents didn't consider for one moment entering America illegally through Mexico. It's because they understood that what made America great was, in part, its laws. Without laws, racism and segregation would have continued, murder rate would have been out of control, monopolies would have left the economy paralyzed and inefficient and private possessions could have been confiscated by the government without legal justification. If those things happened, then the United States would no longer be the country that it is and we would not have wanted to immigrate here. A look at how much worse even a relatively small departure from the country's laws by the Bush administration has left us demonstrates this fact. We cannot justify picking and choosing which laws to break and which ones to follow by citing the goodness of our intentions. If we want to be respected in America as citizens, we must show our respect for it first by following its laws. If you are an illegal immigrant, you have broken the laws of this country. What makes this country great is that it holds accountable those who break its laws. There must be a difference between someone who stands in line for decades to enter this country legally and someone who chooses to break the law instead. If you broke the law and have worked without paying your taxes or taking the full responsibilities of a citizen, you have to pay the consequences that this country's democratic representatives determine.
And the second lesson is for those who think the best way to deal with illegal immigration is to reverse it and send illegal immigrants back. Immigrants come to the United States not just because of a job, but because this country promises equality, respect for democratic principles, compassion, opportunity and generosity. It is that promise that attracts people from all over the world. Illegal immigrants have broken the laws of this country; but many of them have been here for years now and have children who were born in the U.S., gone to college and even served in this country's military. Furthermore, as my story demonstrates, legal immigration to the United States is one of the most difficult things that anyone may ever have to deal with. The process is extremely complicated and time-consuming and the odds of getting accepted can be very unlikely and sometimes nearly impossible. But to break up families now by deporting some back breaks that promise of compassion and understanding that the idea of America promises. While this country must seriously work on making illegal immigration more difficult through enforcement and oblige those who have broken the immigration laws of this country to pay the penalty and go to the back of the line to become legal citizens, it must also make legal immigration easier for people who are ready to come here with their unique talents, diversity and love for this country.
People who move to the United States have a dream. It's the American dream. They are all Americans; they just weren't born here. The greatest thing about the American dream is that sharing it doesn't leave us with less of it.