Author Archives: amandanole

Immigration Isn’t Black & White, So Let’s Not Treat It As Such – By Amanda Nole

If I can be completely vulnerable, there was a time when I was ignorant to anything that didn’t affect my day to day life. I can’t pinpoint the day, but at some point in my educational journey I realized I wasn’t being as empathetic as I said I was. Specifically, I’m talking about the topic of immigration. Sure, I’ve always wished the US was more accepting of immigrants, but there was always a thought in the back of my head “Why can’t they just do it the legal way?”. Well, after hearing the history of US economics and the personal stories of immigrants from my week spent in Ixtlico el Grande, Mexico, my views are changing. It isn’t so black and white. In fact, its as grey as it can be.

A corner of Ixtlilco el Grande

A corner of Ixtlilco el Grande as the sun sets. We stayed in this tranquil town for almost a week.

To put it simply, working conditions in Mexico are bad. The current minimum wage is 88 pesos/day, which equals to less than 5 dollars/day in the US. Not only is the pay low, but jobs are scarce and the US is responsible for some of this thanks to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). That’s not something we learn in our history classes, but yes, NAFTA created an environment in which there are now tens of millions of people in poverty in Mexico. Instead of immediately judging undocumented immigrants, let’s first look at the harm we’ve caused as a country by the implementation of this policy. I’ve heard the stories of these Mexicans who’ve been affected. This past week, I lived with an older woman in Ixtlilco el Grande. Just from the five days that I lived with her, I learned that two of her children have moved to the city of Cuernavaca during the week so they can have jobs. Not everyone has the privilege or ability to move to the city like this where they must pay rent and commute back to Ixtlilco on the weekends. So if offered a way to get to the border, wouldn’t you think about taking it? Just like us, all that they want to do is provide for themselves and their families. Is this an outrageous desire? So I challenge all of you who are reading this to change your perspective and views of Mexican people. Instead of first looking at their legal status, first look at them as human beings and look at our own privilege. These people are our neighbors, our friends, people with skills, people with souls, just like you and I.

Residential homes in Ixtlilco el Grande

Residential homes adorned with political messages in Ixtlilco el Grande

Just like myself, it is okay to be vulnerable and admit that we were wrong in our thoughts and actions. We all make mistakes and take advantage of our privilege, but what matters is what you do once you’ve admitted to your wrongs. Now is the time to educate our friends, family, and colleagues. Help change the narrative around undocumented immigrants and let’s look for policy change that will support and help our neighboring country. Mexican people are some of the most welcoming and accepting people I’ve met. Can we learn a lesson from them and try to be the same?