My name is Adrianna and I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. I come from immigrant parents and grandparents who came here from Mexico. All my life I’ve seen how hard-working my grandparents and parents are. My mom, being a single mom, has always done so much for me, to see me achieve things and have opportunities she didn’t have growing up. These are just normal human beings, trying to make a living for themselves and their families, like most other immigrants who come here.
As a kid I obviously wasn’t aware that people didn’t like Mexicans or were racist toward us; after all, I was only a kid. It wasn’t until one incident, when my mom and I were out and we were talking in Spanish like normal, and a man came up to us saying, “You’re in my country, so speak English.” I was confused as to why he was so mad that we were talking in Spanish. Then my mom had to explain to me that some people weren’t very fond of us and thought of us as criminals.
When ICE raids started in Chicago last month, thoughts and fears came in, that family members could get deported and you don’t know when you’ll see them again. For people to easily just say, “I don’t care, send them all back” makes me angry, because they probably think you just get picked up and sent back and you’re done, easy peasy. But it’s not like that at all. Immigrants can be held for long periods of time, kids in cages who are then lost or separated from their parents. They’re being held like they’re prisoners when they’re not.
I never understand how people can have no sympathy for what happens to immigrants or don’t put themselves in others’ shoes for just one second and feel how horrible and terrifying that is. All these young kids who don’t know when they’ll see their parents again, who deserve to live a happy and safe life – who deserve to have an education and chase their big dreams. It’s truly unfair how we are treated.
Even with all this ugliness surrounding us, when I saw and heard Mexico helping fight the California fires, it wasn’t surprising to me, because growing up, I learned very early that helping one another is a part of our culture. If you’re ever struggling with something, your family helps and your community. We all come together, whether that’s through our music, our food, or our traditions. I can always count on someone in my family to be there for me when I need it, because that’s just how us Mexicans are.
It’s sad that no one was really talking about Mexico helping with the fires. Yes, there might be a few articles and some TikTok videos showing when they sent firefighters to help, but most people ignore the good in immigrants. Mexico helped, despite what has been happening between the U.S and them. They put that aside and helped those in need. That’s the culture I know and grew up with.
But to others, we are criminals, or as the current U.S. president likes to call us: “alien criminals.” It is even more frustrating because they want to call us criminals, but they voted for a convicted felon as their president. I find it kind of hypocritical that people say we are here illegally, but when it came to the election, many Trump supporters were saying if we had a female president, or Kamala Harris won, they would leave the country and find a better place to live. So what’s the difference in all the immigrants who come here to this supposed “American Dream” from their country that’s not safe for them, wanting a better life?
Americans buy land out in Mexico to retire and go there for their winter vacations and spring breaks. But they don’t want to accept us here. Any time I ask someone how their trip was to Mexico, I always, always hear something like: “I loved it, everyone was so nice, I wanna go again.”
This land that MAGA claims to be defending is not even their land, it’s the indigenous people’s land. It was stolen from them, so technically the only people who should be here are those who first built a life for themselves in this place we all want to call home.
There will be good and bad people anywhere you go. At the end of the day, immigrants are humans the same as you, trying to make it through life. No matter what people say about Mexicans, I will always be proud of where my family came from. For those living in fear right now, keep fighting and voicing. Don’t be afraid of speaking another language or being of a different culture. The America I love – the one we must fight for – will always embrace that.
