My wife, nephew, and a number of my in-laws work in the hospitality industry. A majority of the staff in this particular establishment is made up of immigrants- like many places, the white folks work up front, the brown folks work behind the scenes, and the brown folks do the bulk of the work.
Literally, without them, the business would go under. They make this place what it is. They're the lifeblood of the company. The white faces are mostly just that- faces. They greet you, speak to you, etc, but they don't do most of the work.
There is one exception to this rule, a woman I'll call Juanita. She's another face for the company. She does the customer service stuff, serves as the face of the company. She helps translate to the rest of the staff when there's a meeting or something important going on. (There was another employee who used to do the translating, but when Juanita started she overheard the "translation" and told my mother-in-law, the manager, "Um, he's full of shit. This is what he told them, and it's not what you said.")
The American-born staff all do their best to pick up on and learn Spanish so that the communication isn't so cumbersome. But, you know, learning another language is pretty tough. So the well meaning white people do their best to be supportive, but the brown people do most of the work.
Juanita is a cool person, we all love her. Someone's sick? She'll cover the shift. Just need some help on a particularly busy night? She's there.
Many of the other employees live either on-site or within several miles of the establishment; Juanita lives an hour away. She drives that hour to work every morning to another job that she has to be at at five AM. Rain, sleet, snow, or hail, she's there. And as long as someone here reaches out to her before her shift at her other job is over, she'll be here. And even when she doesn't have to work her other job, she drives sixty-something miles just to work a four hour shift here.
She never complains.
~~~~~
So, last night my wife called Juanita for back up because it was a pretty busy night, and Juanita showed up right on time. She and my wife were chit-chatting as the shift slowed down and my wife said something about Donald Trump and what an asshole he is. Juanita, somewhat stoically, agreed.
My wife apologized for talking politics at work, and Juanita said, no, it's okay. "I just don't understand."
"Why people want to vote for him?" wife asked. "Me either!"
"No," Juanita sighed. "I don't understand what's so wrong with us. I don't understand why you hate us."
She went on to tell my wife, she's came to America legally and earned her citizenship. Her husband was close to earning his but got a DUI and was promptly deported. She's not angry at America for that. She's angry at her husband. "It will be twenty-five years at least before we can live as husband and wife again. So stupid."
"But I don't understand what is wrong with us. Why do people hate us so much? We're not doing anything wrong. We came here because America is a nation of immigrants, then we get here and everyone hates us. I don't understand."
My wife was stunned and saddened and told Juanita, well, not all of us see you that way. "I know," she said. "But that's all we ever hear."
Later that night, my wife relayed the conversation to me and my mother-in-law.
Our hearts were heavy- how does one answer a question like that? My MIL choked up as she said, "I am always fair to everyone- I value her, I don't think that way about her or anyone else that works here."
I agreed. "American-born citizens should be more like her and the rest of the staff- they take civic duty seriously. They work hard, they truly believe in America. They're the best citizens."
"They work harder than I do," said my wife.
We sat dumbfounded, saddened, and morose.
What kind of country promises a dream in its name then turns its back on and demonizes those who seek out that dream?
~~~~~
I am a citizen by birthright and I take my citizenship seriously. I vote, I'm active in areas that I think are most important, I'm an ally for dozens of causes that I can't commit much time to but gladly support. One of those things has been immigration.
I've worked with hundreds of immigrants and have always been in awe of their tenacity. Back in 2006 I helped an employee organize his co-workers for the Day Without an Immigrant boycott. My bosses weren't happy when they found out I supported the cause- we were looking at having about half of our staff, and nearly all of our support staff, gone for a day.
That, as I told them, was the point.
And that's about all I've ever done for the cause. I've helped a bit, offered support, speak very clearly and in no uncertain terms against anyone who voices anti-immigrant sentiments. But I don't do a lot more than that. It hasn't been my fight. It hasn't been personal.
Juanita made me realize that it is personal. This is my country, too, and we're not putting our best face forward on this issue.
That has to stop. No one should believe that they are "wrong" just for existing, for working, for raising a family. No one should feel hated by the entire country.
I know what it's like to feel that way. I have been there.
It's not acceptable, and it has to stop.