“Si Se Puede”, meaning “we can do it,” is a statement that means a lot to me. The protests and rallies about immigration laws that have sprouted up all over the nation have inspired me to speak out. My dad is an immigrant from Mexico and many members of my family came to the United States illegally. Many of them would be directly affected by one of the bills, HR 4437, currently being considered by Congress. If this bill were to pass, my relatives could be sent back to Mexico or fined thousands of dollars just to gain any kind of status here in the United States.

This bill would make an estimated 12 million people essentially felons and anyone that would help them could be convicted as well. Some in the United States want to deport and get rid of any illegal immigrants here, but really the fault does not only fall with them as the immigration system for the United States is broken. To get to the United States legally immigrants need to wait for paper work in their country for a long time, some almost 10 years, and that is only for a visitor’s visa.  A very close relative of mine has been here for almost 30 years and he still does not have documentation in the United States and he is worried about this bill being passed. For all of those years he has been working hard to support himself and his family. He is certainly not a criminal by any definition. This is the same story for many illegal immigrants, they have grown to appreciate this country and they have been here so long that if they were to be sent back to their countries there would be nothing for them. The people that stay in Mexico, El Salvador, and many other Latin Countries work a lifetime to have what they do have in their countries, and for someone just to be sent in to the mix with nothing would be devastating for them.

I did participate in the high school walk-outs in late April and I did boycott on May 1. Many Americans feel there should be or is going to be a backlash against the immigrants for boycotting and protesting but I feel there shouldn’t be. There are good and valid reasons behind the boycott, to show the Americans that illegal and legal immigrants are essential to this country. The economy did feel the pressure of the May 1^st boycott, maybe not immediately in the metro area, but it was felt. Amigo Market located in Falls Church City on Broad Street was closed on May 1^st to show solidarity. The mass demonstrations around the nation are being seen around the country and are showing Americans that the immigrants are peaceful, neighborly, and just trying to embrace this country as they wish the country would embrace them. I feel that because I am a citizen of the United States that I need to speak out for the illegal immigrants that cannot. I have a voice in the government and I will use it.