In light of new policies put in place by the newly formed Trump administration, the issue of immigration has been brought to the citizens of the United States of America over the past weeks, including the students and staff at Paso Robles High School and of Crimson Newsmagazine.
Since America’s inception, immigration has been a pillar of our economy and culture, and the idea of the American Dream resides within many. As a result, many immigrants flock to America, promised the opportunity to thrive and provide for their families. And most forget that these immigrants often take on the most tiresome and impactful labor in this country with jobs like construction, farm work, and teaching while being rewarded so little.
Here in Paso Robles, the presence of Hispanic immigrants is a key component to this city’s identity. Its name, its architecture, its local businesses, and its people distinguish our home.
The protest that took place on Feb. 3 on the Niblick Bridge and the “A Day without Immigrants” movement that swept the nation showed the importance of immigrants in our community. Even just one day without people of immigrant families at PRHS wouldn’t be a day spent at the real Paso High. So many in this school body are the children of immigrants, especially Hispanic families who came to America to provide for them. In fact, over 50% of our student body is of Hispanic ethnicity. Hispanic culture gives a breath of new ideas and customs to our school district, and without it our school may be a monocultural and isolationist society.
At PRHS, Hispanic culture is deeply embedded in our students: the MeCha club plans events and draws those in who want to celebrate their Hispanic identity. Additionally, with the now K-8 Georgia Brown Dual-Immersion school, Hispanic culture is shared with all types of people through teaching Spanish and the traditional events they hold. These connections are so important to allow everyone to feel welcomed and allow immigrants to flourish in their home.
These people in our community are friends, family, and loved ones. We would be actively depriving ourselves from meeting so many wonderful people and joining in such a rich culture when we know Paso and America as a whole is built on a strong multicultural foundation.
In terms of policy making, we wish to see a change in accessibility for honest people searching for a new life by making the process more streamlined and efficient. There should be some incentive to go through the legal hurdles involved with citizenship because as it stands now the process is costly and grueling. Yes, there may be some dangerous people who seek refuge in this country through illegal means, but that small percentage shouldn’t allow our government to take the opportunity from the millions of immigrants who fought to come into this country and are doing all they can to put food on the table. They don’t represent this city’s people. They don’t represent this city’s parents, independent business owners, and dedicated workers. And if the refuge these families seek is found here in Paso, they will be welcomed with open arms. Because that’s what was given to us.
— The Crimson Staff
