One Humanity
I recently traveled to Poland, and the trip gave me a new perspective.
I saw a medieval castle in Malbork where crusader knights once resided, the remnants of a brick wall that once enclosed the Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw during World War II, and a flourishing modern economy that had overcome so much. Poland’s people, its food, and its vibrant culture will enrich me for the rest of my life.
As an immigration lawyer, I’ve had the privilege of working with people from all over the world. I’ve had clients from China, Nigeria, France, Poland, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and many more. After all of those interactions, one thing is clear to me: every country, and every person, has something wonderful to offer the world. I don’t accept the notion that immigrants are a drain on a nation’s richness.
People everywhere are searching for happiness. They are searching for a place that fits who they are, a place where they might find their dream and the means to make it blossom from possibility into reality. Unfortunately, politics sometimes gets in the way of common decency.
The United States has entered a period of anti-immigration rhetoric and policy. But the truth is it’s been moving in that direction for a long time. Every year the applications get longer. Every year the burden of proof grows heavier. Every year the work gets harder. Decades ago, an application was two pages long, simple enough that a person could complete it on their own. Today that same application runs twenty pages. Now more than ever, people need an immigration attorney just to begin the journey.
It is my firm conviction that all people deserve respect and dignity. We are made of the same material. And more importantly, we all carry dreams and a longing for happiness. It is that longing that sparks business, innovation, and wealth. Immigrants do not take away from a country’s richness. They add to it, many times over.
Borders are a convention we abide by, because they bring structure and order, and the rules should be followed. But we should never forget that beneath all the manmade rules and borders, there is only one humanity.