I will never meet a group of people more xenophobic than immigrants who “made it”.
Immigrants who “did everything right”.
Immigrants who “followed all the rules”.
I will never meet a group of people who hate immigrants more than “the good immigrants”.
The “good” immigrant only aims to please the system, which is constantly battling for them to assimilate, and forgets about their roots. They believe they have assimilated because they speak “good” English and came here legally and work a “good” job. They think that when they watch TV and see the atrocities spoken about immigrants, it’s not meant for them. It’s meant for the “bad” immigrant, the one who doesn’t speak English, the one who is undocumented, the one who works the invisible jobs no one talks about. They don’t realize the only thing separating the two is sheer dumb luck and privilege.
They don’t realize no one chooses to go through the border crossing and live an undocumented life in fear. They don’t realize no one chooses not to speak English and have trouble communicating. They don’t realize no one chooses to work an underpaid and underappreciated job. They don’t realize the sheer desperation and fear necessary to go through the border crossing. They don’t realize how difficult it is to just survive and exist every day in a world that wants you to deteriorate. They think they just didn’t work hard enough, they don’t want it enough, they’re lazy, I made it, why can’t they?
They don’t realize that to the system, to the xenophobe, the only “good” immigrant is the deported one. The second “good immigrants” get their Green Card, they forget all the struggle and strife to get here. They forget the microaggressions, the endless delays and requests from immigration lawyers, the yearning for home, the lack of home, the lack of freedom, the constant extra steps to do something simple like get a job or rent an apartment, the doors shut in their face, the thousands of dollars spent. They forget what it’s like to be othered.
And yet, they don’t. And this is where this animosity for “bad” immigrants comes from. Deep down, they know they will always be the other. They will never have the same rights as an American-born citizen, and they know this. If an American citizen commits a felony, they go to jail, maybe even get out early. If a Green Card holder commits a felony, they are deemed “removable” and most likely will be deported. We will never be the same. No matter how much they try to argue, we will always be the other in the eyes of the system.
By discriminating against the “bad” immigrant, the “good” immigrant tries to equate themselves to a system that hates them, in the hopes of finally being seen as equal. However, that fails miserably, and all the “good” immigrants will ever be for the system are fools who willingly became political pawns in a game they’ll never win. Quit trying to play the game. Fight the real enemy of bigotry.