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GUEST COLUMN
5/02/2006
Cutting Through
the Confusion About Citizenship
BY WANDA MARTINEZ I find it very disturbing the turn that the immigration issue has taken. I honestly do not understand the logistics of what lawmakers are proposing or not proposing as it seems to change from day to day possibly even hour to hour. I do understand this much: it has taken a very long time for immigration to get this screwed up and it will take twice as long to fix it. I know how many people feel about the influx of immigrants, and I feel much the same way. I may even understand it a little more than most. My husband is Hispanic. He came from Mexico 9 years ago as an illegal and has since worked his way through the immigration process to the status of Permanent Resident. This process cost him over $4000 and took almost 4 years. I have seen people stare at him and whisper behind his back as if he were a criminal or a life form from another planet. I assure he is neither of those things. He is a strong willed, fair minded, courageous individual who left his home so he could provide a better life for the single mother of seven who had raised him on her own in a one room concrete box. Often times we are so quick to judge people (all people) that we never bother take time to think about who that person is or where they came from. A woman in line at the checkout line of the local grocery using food stamps must be just plain lazy. You never think that her spouse may have died, her employer closed down or she may have lost her home to fire. The point is you never know one's situation until you inquire or research. Many Americans are under the impression that once you marry a citizen you automatically become a citizen. I would like those people to know that is no longer the case. Being married to an American makes you nothing more than a married illegal immigrant. So those of you who may think the Mexicans are here to take your jobs and your women, do some research. Many people are also under the impression that Hispanics do not pay taxes. I would like to clarify that as well. Do your research on this subject and you will find that many illegal immigrants have federal tax ID#'s. You can apply in whatever state you live and with a birth certificate and a photo ID, such as a driver's license, passport or school ID card; you can easily obtain an ID#. The immigrant then applies for a job using this number and they work on it for a year, until tax season rolls around and the IRS starts doing its probes. They then change jobs using the same ID# issued by the state and continue the pattern year after year after year. Now, here's the good part, good for Americans anyway: all of the money deducted from these employees again using the ID# that they were legally issued (using no falsified documents) goes straight into the Federal Government's pocket and is returned to Americans in the form of state assistance programs such as SSI, food stamps, health departments, DOT, city, state and local police because although the documents used to obtain their ID# is completely and 100% legal, they never file taxes and never qualify for tax refunds. Also, when you are at a store standing in line behind a Hispanic person and their goods are being totaled, take a look and see how much of a tax discount they get. That's right, you guessed it: none. They pay the same county, city and state sales and property taxes as you and I. There are many bad Mexicans just as there are bad whites, blacks, Indian, Chinese, Japanese and every other nationality known to man. So why do we seek to punish the child for the sins of the father so to speak? Why do we want to banish all Mexicans based on the actions of a few? I am an American. I was an American and will die an American. My body will be buried on American soil. My husband is a Mexican. Born Mexican, will die Mexican and will be buried on Mexican soil. He has chosen to make his life here. You to have the same freedom to chose where you wish to live, work, and raise your family. A large number of American people chose to retire and live in places such as Mexico. The Mexican people are not petitioning, lobbying, or forming vigilante groups to patrol their borders to ensure that we are not allowed in. Are they? This is a very delicate subject. People have the right to have and voice their opinions. Thanks to the men and women who have fought on foreign soil to give you those rights. I have my own views and beliefs. I think the language is without a doubt one of the biggest issues outside of the legality issues. I think anyone who wishes to be here should be allowed to be here if they do it the right way. Take the correct steps and following the rules. I think the 6 year guest worker program now before congress is ridiculous. Make it 1 - 2 years with mandatory visits to an immigration office every 6 months. Make taking English a requirement before ever issuing any documentation whatsoever whether it be a guest worker or citizenship. English should not be a second language to Americans! Set up a system where all law enforcement including city, state and federal officials have access to a database which will allow them to verify an inmate's immigration status in real time. If a detainee has no documentation it should result in immediate deportation. The U.S. has enough criminals of its own! We are quickly running out of space to house good, descent, God fearing, hard working, and law abiding people in this country anyway. Finally, is U.S. citizenship a gift, a right or something that must be earned? Think carefully before you answer because if you were born in America, no matter your ethnic background, it is a gift. You have to do nothing more for it. It is yours. If you are a soldier, you may think it is a right earned by our service men. Wrong. It is a gift given to each and every one of us, by a soldier and paid for by the spilling of his blood, the droppings of his sweat and the silent tears he cries at the loss of a fellow service man and wrapped in a beautiful package called freedom. For the person who never had it, it is a dream, a dream that you will do anything to make come true. It is something that is earned. You must prove yourself just as my husband did. The freedoms he now enjoys are freedoms that he has worked very hard for. He sees no justification in the proposed idea of "giving" others in is own culture something he had to fight tooth and nail to get--something that he is so proud of and grateful for. Wanda Martinez is a life long resident of North Carolina. She has been married for 6 years, is a federal employee dedicated to the service of U.S. veterans, and is very passionate about equality and fair treatment of all people.
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