VTMBH Article: Body
Whenever I hear the words undocumented immigrants, or illegal immigrants, I am reminded of my friend from high school. Like many other high school students, my friend and I enjoyed our teenage years together. During our senior year, however, I discovered that he was an undocumented immigrant. My friend, who was bright, friendly, and full of smiles that he often shared with others, began to go astray, and his difficult financial circumstances forced him to throw away his acceptance letter from SUNY and enter a two-year college instead. Since then, we have lost touch, but during my involvement with the Signature Campaign to Grant Legal Status to Undocumented Immigrants, I could not stop thinking about him.
According to the 2000 Census, there are currently about 180,000 undocumented Korean immigrants in America, and 45,000 of them live in New York. Regardless of how or why they came to the United States, they are all leading immigrant lives. They work just as hard as green card holders or naturalized citizens, and diligently pay taxes to the United States government.
Nevertheless, because of their lack of legal status, undocumented immigrants are excluded from all government benefits and cannot even receive financial aid for education, which are funded by the taxes that they pay. The tragedy of September 11th has further exacerbated the lives of undocumented immigrants: the undocumented immigrant victims of September 11th, as well as their families, had to remain silent because of their illegal status and thus received no compensation.
Fortunately, there is some good news. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which is the biggest labor union in the United States, began a signature campaign to secure legal status for undocumented immigrants. This signifies a major change in the American labor unions outlook on immigrant laborers. Previously, many labor unions in the United States have ignored the issue of immigrant workers, maintaining that an influx of immigrant labor destroys the established labor wage system. Many Korean-American organizations, including the National Korean American Service and Education Confederation, have joined such campaigns.
Last week, I visited churches and cathedrals to get signatures for the campaign. Despite the hot weather, many Korean-Americans encouraged me, saying such kind words as good job, and youre doing a wonderful thing. Some elderly women asked if I was hungry and even brought me food. As I witnessed the positive reaction of the Korean-American community to the campaign, I felt proud of my work.
There is always at least one undocumented immigrant around us, whether he or she is a friend, or a colleague. We should not turn away from the burdens and sufferings of undocumented immigrants. Even on a humanitarian level, if these people have led an exemplary life as a citizen, performing all of its required duties, isnt it time for them to earn legal status?
This week, I am once again participating in the Signature Campaign to Grant Legal Status to Undocumented Immigrants. It is for my friend from high school, for my neighbors, and for the numerous families of the victims of September 11th who had to grieve in silence. I hope that more Korean-Americans will participate in the campaign and show their support and care.
<i> The author is a campaign coordinator for the National Korean American Service and Education Confederation.</i>
According to the 2000 Census, there are currently about 180,000 undocumented Korean immigrants in America, and 45,000 of them live in New York. Regardless of how or why they came to the United States, they are all leading immigrant lives. They work just as hard as green card holders or naturalized citizens, and diligently pay taxes to the United States government.
Nevertheless, because of their lack of legal status, undocumented immigrants are excluded from all government benefits and cannot even receive financial aid for education, which are funded by the taxes that they pay. The tragedy of September 11th has further exacerbated the lives of undocumented immigrants: the undocumented immigrant victims of September 11th, as well as their families, had to remain silent because of their illegal status and thus received no compensation.
Fortunately, there is some good news. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which is the biggest labor union in the United States, began a signature campaign to secure legal status for undocumented immigrants. This signifies a major change in the American labor unions outlook on immigrant laborers. Previously, many labor unions in the United States have ignored the issue of immigrant workers, maintaining that an influx of immigrant labor destroys the established labor wage system. Many Korean-American organizations, including the National Korean American Service and Education Confederation, have joined such campaigns.
Last week, I visited churches and cathedrals to get signatures for the campaign. Despite the hot weather, many Korean-Americans encouraged me, saying such kind words as good job, and youre doing a wonderful thing. Some elderly women asked if I was hungry and even brought me food. As I witnessed the positive reaction of the Korean-American community to the campaign, I felt proud of my work.
There is always at least one undocumented immigrant around us, whether he or she is a friend, or a colleague. We should not turn away from the burdens and sufferings of undocumented immigrants. Even on a humanitarian level, if these people have led an exemplary life as a citizen, performing all of its required duties, isnt it time for them to earn legal status?
This week, I am once again participating in the Signature Campaign to Grant Legal Status to Undocumented Immigrants. It is for my friend from high school, for my neighbors, and for the numerous families of the victims of September 11th who had to grieve in silence. I hope that more Korean-Americans will participate in the campaign and show their support and care.
<i> The author is a campaign coordinator for the National Korean American Service and Education Confederation.</i>