Lately I hear a lot of fear and anger from people who are concerned about immigrants coming to the US.
They’ll take our jobs.
They’re criminals.
They’re freeloaders looking for a handout.
They’ll destroy our way of life.
My experience with immigrants has been the complete opposite.
- The hospice nurses and aids who care for my wife are incredibly kind, gentle and loving. Most of them are immigrants from Haiti, Jamaica and Latin America.
- The guys who painted my house worked 12 hour days and then insisted on redoing sections they said were not “good enough” upon final inspection. They were all Mexican immigrants.
- My neighborhood is full of blue collar workers immigrants from Latin America and South America. Everyone I’ve met is hard working, friendly and family oriented.
- All of my housekeepers have been immigrants. Over the years, they’ve grown to be trusted family friends with keys to my house.
This doesn’t include the many “white collar” immigrants I’ve met in my personal and professional life. They are CEOs, doctors, engineers, project managers and salespeople . Some of the most successful, yet humble people I’ve met are immigrants.
The immigrants I’ve known didn’t come looking for a handout or to steal something from us. They came to the US for a chance to work toward a better life.
They learned to speak, read and write a second language.
They accepted jobs well beneath their previous employment levels and were grateful for the opportunity to work.
Some worked their way up. Others never made it beyond entry level “menial” positions.
Yet somehow, they were able to create lives full of love, joy and generosity.
I don’t think we need to build a wall to keep people like this out. Instead, we just need to get to know them better.