Lab 1: Responding to immigration stories

After reading a handful of these immigrant stories, I was left a little teary eyed. Even though these stories are only a paragraph long, they’re short but powerful. The crime, corruption, and war that happen in some of these countries gave them no chance but to flee for safety. A lot of these stories are about people leaving crime ridden areas, or war torn countries in search of a better life… The American dream. A lot of the stories I’ve read had the same tone in the closing sentences. Proudly being an American immigrant, but disappointed in the U.S. with the treatment and lack of empathy towards incoming migrants and refugees. It saddens me that a good chunk of these stories end in that tone because, these people just want to make a better life for themselves and their family. They strive to make this a better country, and take all the opportunities that America has to offer. One story in which the family immigrated to the U.S. giving up a comfortable life they had. His ending sentence of, “I was fortunate not to be a refugee. But given today’s circumstances, if I were a refugee, would you see me differently?” really made me think about how much this nations view is changing. Some of these stories harken back to the times when the U.S. welcomed all with open arms, and the American dream was real for anyone willing to make to boat trip to Ellis Island. This country was built from the ground up by those 12 million people who came here chasing that dream.