Anti-immigrant rhetoric is hurting my community in NC, too | Opinion
As an essential healthcare worker at a nursing home, I take great pride in caring for our senior residents. Among them are grandparents, retired US veterans, teachers, and doctors who have dedicated their lives to serving others. I am honored to provide them with high-quality care and show them the love and respect they deserve.
As a teenager, I moved to the US from Honduras to reunite with my parents. I worked hard to excel in education, master English, complete high school, and train to become a certified nurse assistant. Thanks to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy (DACA), North Carolina has become my home, and I make sure to give back to my community. I have since married, started a family, and become a mother to two wonderful boys, 8 and 6.
I am one of more than 800,000 young adults, commonly known as “Dreamers,” who have obtained a work permit and protection from deportation through DACA after applying and passing a background check. Approximately 24,000 Dreamers like myself live in North Carolina. We have been studying, raising families, and contributing to our communities and the economy through our hard-earned wages and taxes. Immigrant workers, including myself, are eager and ready to step in and fill these essential roles, ensuring that our aging population receives the care and support they deserve.
When extreme politicians at the federal and state levels make baseless accusations blaming immigrants for rising crime rates and our country’s problems, it’s not just deeply offensive and disrespectful, but it creates a hostile atmosphere in my community. This fear-mongering spreads unnecessary mistrust among our friends and neighbors and should be strongly denounced.
The fear that is being spread is dangerous, and it affects all of us, not just immigrant communities. Many of us, no matter our immigration status, often experience racial profiling and unfair treatment. This makes us hesitant to call the police to report a crime or an accident because we fear being judged unfairly and treated differently because of how we look or speak. Fear-mongering often makes us afraid to go to work, worrying that we might be pulled over and questioned by the police based on our appearance.
It’s time for extreme politicians to stop scapegoating immigrants and start focusing on the real issues affecting our communities. Climate change is intensifying storms in the Carolinas, while affordable healthcare, housing, and the freedom to live free from gun violence are crucial for our well-being and safety. Just last week, a student at my local high school brought a gun to school, posing a real threat to our children, communities, and families.
The reality is that immigrant workers such as myself are here to make valuable contributions to this great country, support our neighbors, and ensure the well-being of our families.
I can’t bear the thought of returning to an extreme government agenda – an agenda focused on separating American families and putting children in cages. Separation from my family would affect not only my two American children but also the senior residents I care for who rely on me entirely for their daily care and well-being. It’s evident that politicians with an extreme agenda are determined to cause harm.
For Dreamers like me, the choice is clear this November. We cannot and will not go back.
This story was originally published September 20, 2024 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Anti-immigrant rhetoric is hurting my community in NC, too | Opinion."