John Kelly, the current WH Chief of Staff and former Secretary of Homeland Security made news this week when he said that most Mexican immigrants do not assimilate well into American culture because they are rural, unskilled and do not speak English. For these reasons, Kelly believes they should be kept from entering the country and deported if they are undocumented, even if they have been here for decades with children who are U.S. citizens. Anyone who knows anything about the history of our country knows that these statements are flawed on multiple levels, but given the history of Kelly’s own family, even more ironic. Seven of Kelly’s eight great-grandparents were immigrants. Four came from Italy and three from Ireland. Contrary to what Kelly might want us to believe, people in the nineteenth century did not immigrate to America because they grew tired of their London mansions. They came to America for a better life – exactly the same reason they do today. Kelly’s ancestors were fruit peddlers, wagon drivers, and railroad workers. His own father was a post office worker. If Kelly’s preferred immigration policies were in place one hundred years ago, it is safe to say almost none of his ancestors would have been permitted to immigrate into America. We can try to have an intelligent debate about immigration policy, but lets at least start with a basic agreement on the facts.
I think most Latinos would agree that at our core, we are a generous people. If a member of our family is in need, Latinos as a rule, won’t hesitate to help financially. Family is central to Hispanic culture: our generosity has few limits. Maybe that explains why when it comes to making political donations and writing checks in support of actual philanthropic activities, Latinos come up short….When I interviewed Barack Obama last year at NAHREP at L’ATTITUDE, I pressed him about politicians not prioritizing issues that are important to Latino voters, he politely pushed back by saying…
We hear frequently how Latinos are not a monolithic community. In other words, we are not all the same. We come from different countries, have a variety of political views, and even eat different foods. I get all of that, but I also think focusing constantly on our differences versus our similarities undermines our political and economic power as a community...
This might be my most provocative blog in a while. Let me first state that I am happily married to a beautiful gringa. My kids are half- White and some of my best friends throughout my life have been White, so don’t let the title of this blog throw you.