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by I wrote this essay for my Intro to Research Writing class. It was our first single source essay.
Coming to America
Illegal immigration has long been a hot topic in America, with many people on both sides of the issue. Recently Ruben Martinez, a professor at the University of Houston, wrote an article for the New York Times in 2004 called “The Kindness of Strangers.” This article dealt with the highly debatable issue of illegal immigration and what America should do to accept these immigrants. The definition of immigration has greatly changed from what it once was. While immigration is not inherently wrong, immigrants no longer integrate into society.
Ruben Martinez first tells us of Las Posadas, a story about Joseph and Mary searching for a place to stay. Many people tell them they can’t stay because they might be thieves. Americans are afraid to be hospitable to immigrants because they will steal from our country. The American people should accept immigrants with open arms, as hospitality is necessary in an unpredictable world. The only way to offer hospitality to immigrants is to believe that there is no border between the U.S. and Mexico, and the sooner Americans realize this the sooner we can accept immigrants for what they are, not illegal or Mexican, but a person.
Using the analogy of Joseph and Mary is a baiting tactic, trying to get the reader to side with him. Because Joseph and Mary were immigrants, if the reader doesn’t side with Martinez it would question his religious beliefs. This makes a reader wonder whether Martinez is using this story to prove his point, or merely to gain sympathy. In the story Joseph and Mary are simply seeking shelter for the night, which Martinez tries to transform into the acceptance of all illegal immigrants. It is true that many people are very inhospitable to immigrants, but Martinez seems to confuse hospitability with acceptance. There are many people who will help out an immigrant to keep him from going hungry or from being cold, but that does not mean that they accept what the illegal immigrant is doing. Martinez tries to use this unconvincing analogy to sum up his article, saying that illegal immigrants are merely “pilgrims seeking shelter on the road” (p28).
Martinez states that “We are immigrants who despise immigrants” (p29). Immigration has greatly changed in this country. An immigrant used to be a person who completely gave up the language and traditions of his home country to legally make a new life in another country, accepting that country’s language and traditions as his own. Over time this definition of immigration has changed, and now illegal immigrants believe they should not have to learn English. They believe that we should accommodate them because they have the right to live in a country and not learn its language. This way of thinking is one sided; there are many immigrants in America from countries other than Mexico, yet they have integrated into American society. The United States has tried to integrate illegal immigrants into American culture, from stores hiring multi-lingual cashiers all the way down to the Pringles can, which is entirely Spanish and English now. This is why many American are inhospitable and cruel towards illegal immigrants, they wish to have the benefits of living as an American without accepting the lifestyle of their new country. If an immigrant wishes to accept America as their new home, he should accept English as his new language.
Martinez’s final point is that the border between the U.S. and Mexico is non-existent, that by helping an immigrant we no longer view them as an “illegal” or as a Mexican, but as a human. However, you can view a person as a human and an illegal. Once again Martinez confuses hospitality with acceptance. There are many humanitarian groups set up in America to help immigrants, both legal and illegal, but this does not mean these groups condone breaking the law. There is a reason that there is a border between the two countries; it acts as a divider of traditions, customs, and language. If this border was not to exist, then there would have to be one language, one culture; otherwise anarchy would consume both nations. Laws are set up for a reason. There are many immigrants who come to America legally and they are getting a bad reputation due to the actions of those who choose to break the law.
Martinez presents important issues in his article, but fails to realize many things in his blind attempt to convince Americans that all illegal immigrants should be accepted. He assumes that hospitality and acceptance are one and the same, but this flawed thinking only makes the reader wonder if Martinez knows what he is talking about. Martinez says that America, a “land of immigrants,” despises immigrants, which has been proven wrong through the many attempts to try to integrate immigrants into American society. He believes that a border between the U.S. and Mexico is non-existent, that we should view Mexicans and Americans as one people, but illegal immigrants’ refusal to integrate into their new home has proven that the U.S. and Mexico are still separate. What Martinez should realize is that while immigration is not inherently wrong, until immigrants integrate into American culture, they will always be strangers.
Works Cited
“The Kindness of Strangers” Writing from Sources. 7th Ed. 2007.
“The Kindness of Strangers” Writing from Sources. 7th Ed. 2007.
