Hope is foremost in the minds of many who wish to go to the United States for a variety of reasons. Some leave their homelands because of political reasons. Others, under great physical, mental, emotional, and other stress, must leave to save themselves and their families. Many want to join their families and relatives who left for the U.S. earlier. Some feel their future aspirations for themselves and their families can best be met in the U.S. Some are refugees; some seek asylum. Promises, whether made or assumed, may well be fulfilled in the U.S. For many, tragically, the dreams cannot come true.
      Not all who dream of going to America are able to enter the country epitomized by the Statue of Liberty with its Emma Lazarus quotation: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ... " Others become immigrants, either legally or illegally. Many become and remain permanent legal residents, while others become naturalized U.S. citizens and join their new communities' various activities. Those who aspire to go through the naturalization processes soon learn the path is both difficult and expensive. The fortunate ones achieve the goal of becoming U.S. citizens. Former refugees and asylees treasure their new status.
      Unfortunately, too many of us current residents lose sight of what America offers -- the opportunities, the future. Some fear possible competition from so-called "illegals" -- those who have entered the U.S. outside immigration quotas or have overstayed their legally-obtained visas.
      Economic competition for jobs is a real concern for current residents who are unemployed and for those who must work more than one job to make ends meet. Any influx of people who might compete for assistance pose a threat to the status quo. The influx of children will strain the educational system. Fears may become higher when the influx is of people who look "different," or who are not proficient in English, or who speak a language we don't understand.
      Persons in jobs classified as low-paying, such as laundries, restaurants, hotels, day-labor, etc. are especially vulnerable to competition. Some employers are quick to take advantage of those who seek labor-intensive, back-breaking work. The jobs do not always lead to better positions in the future, but at least one can work and get paid, even though the pay is below a living-wage or minimum-pay level.
      Employment discrimination abounds. People of color are often able to compete, but not all are successful. "Menial" jobs are around when one looks for them. That's the way it was when I left the Manzanar Relocation Center in 1943 during World War II to enter the job market in Chicago. I wanted to earn enough to pay the tuition required for admission to the University of Chicago. I had a federal government check for $50 received by persons leaving relocation centers. I also had a few dollars earned in Manzanar while incarcerated because of my ancestry. My belonging consisted of what could be stuffed into a suitcase, some books, and the blue suit I wore. Not much, but enough to get by.
      American Friends Service Committee representatives helped me find a place to live and explained the public transportation system. Fortunately, before my one-year camp experience, I lived in Los Angeles where I made much use of public transportation, so I was able to cope very easily.
      Jobs were available all over Chicago. The thing was, they were all  "no-skills-required" jobs that paid 50 cents per hour for the first month or so, and 62.5  cents per hour thereafter. I ran into a friend of mine, also a Nisei (Japanese American), with whom I had attended junior college. We went job hunting. Our first job lasted about two hours. We were both five feet, three inches tall, and each  weighed about 115 pounds. The job we felt lucky to find required us to pile large sacks of coffee (each weighing 200 pounds) into two, four-high stacks on wooden skids that other laborers moved to delivery trucks. Well, my friend (also named Paul) and I easily piled the coffee sacks two-high, had difficulty piling them three-high, and found it almost impossible to pile them four-high. That was it. We knew we couldn't possibly last eight hours. So, we quit. We didn't even ask for the dollar we each earned. Our next job, working in a leather-glove factory, also turned out disastrously. So, jobs were there. It's just that they were not for us. It was no surprise that such work was available.
      Things are different when one has to compete for jobs. The fewer the number of competitors, the better the chance of landing a job. Whether low-paying or back-breaking, having a job means getting paid. So, some people were concerned about the effects of African Americans and Hispanics competing in the same job market.
      Oh, oh, I ran out of space, so I'll have to continue this next month. I'll summarize an article that appeared in the July-August issue of Crisis, a publication of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAAC)P.  The feature section was entitled "The Crisis Interviews: Immigration"  interviews by David C. Ruffin. The introduction went: "Five Black leaders respond to the furor over immigration, commenting on its economic and political relevance to African Americans." Mr. Ruffin explored such questions as "Are immigrants taking jobs away from Black workers and depressing wages? How significant is immigration compared with other causes of Black unemployment? What do African Americans lose if undocumented immigrants are provided a pathway to citizenship? Are there issues on which Black and immigrant communities can find common ground?"
Thoughts on immigration
by Paul Kusuda