Mythology and Its Injustice to Immigration-Part 1

 Mythology and Its Injustice to Immigration by Sam Hernandez                                 November 2019

Part 1

The definition of “myth” for the purpose of the subject of this article is that it is a story that generally is of unknown authorship and its unknown base has unproven elements of facts or truth. Yet, the story operates legendarily and traditionally as truth. If it is not true or it is not a fact, time and its legendary repetition (often by oral tradition) will cause it to come to be accepted to be true. A few myths have “good” intent and are left to “do good” even if we know they are not true – like the Easter Bunny. However, there are many bad myths about immigration and immigrants that are not true but promoted as truth. They generally do great injustice to the real “good” of immigrants and immigration and the benefits from their productivity.

This article on myths will be in several parts. Together, there will be an overview of 10 myths. It will briefly show the fact or fiction of each one. A few may later be offered as separate articles if there is a need. Some may be more thorough than others. An appeal will be made to the readers to become personally more active in the need to express dismay at the way contemporary immigrants continue to be ill-served and falsely presented via racism and white nationalism. We need to personally show that we are keepers of all brothers, with a current focus on our Latino brothers. Our protest needs to be loud, seen and read.

The first myth touches the issue of illegal versus legal. This myth infers that: Most of the immigrants are here illegally. It is impossible to offer exact numbers of immigrants in the U.S.A. legal or Illegal. All of us who came to the “Americas” after Columbus are immigrants. The only ones that are not are the Native Americans – whom we wrongly call “Indians”. Columbus was not in India. We, not him, know that. Let’s finally correct his ignorance (by not perpetuating this myth and misnomer).

All of what today is the U.S.A. was “indian” populated before white immigration started basically with Jamestown. Don’t forget that the Blacks joined the whites as immigrants at about the same time. My people (Mexicans) were “indians” before and after Columbus. We came into what is now the U.S.A. Southwest, as part “indian” and part “Spanish” in 1541. That is why we are called “mestizo” – person of mixed blood. A few “indian” “tribes” of “Mexican” lineage were there as long-term residence before the arrival of us “mestizos”. We “mestizos” were in what is now western U.S.A. (mostly southwest) over 100 years before Jamestown and around 350 years before whites come following the cry of “gold” and we (Mexico) lost the Southwest to them. All this data is offered so you can consider the question: Are we Mexicans “immigrants”? We stayed as U.S.A. citizens after we lost the lands to the U.S.A. Many of us have always been residents and citizens of the today’s U.S.A. Trump claims he wants to ‘Make America great again’. Mexico, and 35 other nations of America (the U.S.A. being one of the 36) are “American” of America. Again – Are we “immigrants?” “Undocumented”? “Illegal”? These are good and valid questions for you to consider. We Mexicans and other Latinos of the 34 of the 36 American nations make up the majority of the current number of immigrants trying to enter the U.S.A. When you hear and ponder the issue of immigration, do you ever think they are talking about you – or is it about them? Or is it more about your feeling that it is not that they are coming but that they are doing it illegally? Much of how you perceive your objective/subjective definition of “legal – illegal” quite likely depends on how much bias and racism you have been taught to use in your perspective. Those two forces and their use will depend on your overall knowledge of the issue. You can be ignorant because you lack a given set of data or you can ignore the offered, tested and valid data.

Contrary to popular myth – Most immigrants do not come here illegally.

To better understand “immigrancy” for our overview, we will mean “immigrant” to be those now coming who were not born here. That leaves most of us out of our immigrant status.

The media, either due to intent or outcome continues to lead us to overlook the fact that most of the foreign-born now living in the U.S.A. have generally followed immigration rules and have the right and permission to be here. There are currently between 35 to 40 million foreign-born people living here right now. Exact figures are difficult to determine always, specifically at this time when census data is almost 10 years old. About 25 to 30 million of them are either citizens or legal residents – most of them preparing themselves toward citizenship. Of those who do not have authorized documents to be here, over 45% entered legally and continue to stay after their papers have expired. Their situation back home is so dire economically and even a risk to life and liberty that they risk staying home, to be found and sent back, knowing they cannot get a visa again for at least 10 years. If you humanistically put yourself in their shoes, you would do the same thing.

The world has always been in turmoil. Different countries at different times for different reasons. When things become dire in one’s country you emigrate out of it and head for the one area you hope or know that it will better assure your survival. That is why all of the forefathers of those of us here of European white stock came here and started anew. The reception was open. You would think we would be grateful and would be celebrating a thanksgiving every year with the indigenous natives. We did it only once. We showed our gratefulness by not only coming here for succor, but via war and genocide, we took over their lands and abundant resources and placed those still living on “reserve” status (reservations) until one day we may decide what to do with them that might be just and humane.

What do you think? None of the current contemporary immigrant groups have been coming over to take us over and replace us. Yet, we are being taught, via white nationalism, hate and racism, to fear that they might try, just like the white original immigrants. Do you believe that?

Those of us non-whites must become personally active and committed to awaken our white brethren that we are now in the desperate condition their forefathers once were. They are not coming anymore because they don’t need to. We Latinos need to collectivize, and through inspirational focality and teamwork, squelch the upcoming myth that a “Hispanization” movement is pushing lack of ambition and acceptance of poverty. It may succeed in getting you to believe that walking thousands of miles to get to the U.S.A. shows lack of ambition and that getting here shows that we love poverty and therefore want to live under welfare. Bovine excrement!

Basta! Enough! We Latino citizens here are the few brothers who are doing well because our parents (mostly poor and/or low income) suffered hard in order to get us prepared to graduate and hopefully into higher education, and into the job and income we earn. As keepers of those of us in need, we can do better if we create voiceful groups and local/national committees with special services. One of those services is spreading enough information to squelch the mythologies that hurt us. We owe it to ourselves.~ Sam Hernandez