Friday evening, Dan the Man and I were sitting around putting together some coffee tables and watching television. After King of Queens, I turned it to one of the local news stations to hear the top stories of the day. They were reporting on the latest immigrant busts here in Texas. Well, they only reported on three.
Anyway, later, Dan the Man was talking to his mom saying, “Boy, they sure do live in a dangerous neighborhood. Since I’ve been here, there have been two murders and just a couple streets down, there found this motel with immigrants…”
Of course, I interrupted, “Welcome to the big city, and it wasn’t a couple streets down, it was on the other side of the loop, where the nice Target is. And it was in a one bedroom apartment, not a motel.”
Later, we got into it about the immigrants. Or maybe it was earlier. I said that it was so sad how there was one man in the video clips who was wiping off tears as he walked out of the apartment courtyard. I said, “Who knows what he had to go through to get here and now that he’s finally here, he’s caught.”
He said, “Well, they shouldn’t try to come into the U.S. that way.”
I had to bite my tongue so that I wouldn’t hurt his feelings. In a composed manner, I said, “Well, they don’t really have a choice. Even if they did ask for visa’s it’s not like any of them would get them.”
I think that’s when he left saying he had to go call his mom. He wanted to avoid a similar argument we had on Wednesday night about forced sterilization on minorities in the late sixties and early seventies. Sometimes I forget how sheltered he has been his entire life.
In any case, I’ve been thinking a lot about the immigrants. I recently read La migra me hizo los mandados and even though the testimonials are somewhat fictionalized, there is a lot of truth in them. Seeing those men filed out into Border Patrol vehicles made me want to cry. I could see the desperation in some of their faces.
Anyway, later, Dan the Man was talking to his mom saying, “Boy, they sure do live in a dangerous neighborhood. Since I’ve been here, there have been two murders and just a couple streets down, there found this motel with immigrants…”
Of course, I interrupted, “Welcome to the big city, and it wasn’t a couple streets down, it was on the other side of the loop, where the nice Target is. And it was in a one bedroom apartment, not a motel.”
Later, we got into it about the immigrants. Or maybe it was earlier. I said that it was so sad how there was one man in the video clips who was wiping off tears as he walked out of the apartment courtyard. I said, “Who knows what he had to go through to get here and now that he’s finally here, he’s caught.”
He said, “Well, they shouldn’t try to come into the U.S. that way.”
I had to bite my tongue so that I wouldn’t hurt his feelings. In a composed manner, I said, “Well, they don’t really have a choice. Even if they did ask for visa’s it’s not like any of them would get them.”
I think that’s when he left saying he had to go call his mom. He wanted to avoid a similar argument we had on Wednesday night about forced sterilization on minorities in the late sixties and early seventies. Sometimes I forget how sheltered he has been his entire life.
In any case, I’ve been thinking a lot about the immigrants. I recently read La migra me hizo los mandados and even though the testimonials are somewhat fictionalized, there is a lot of truth in them. Seeing those men filed out into Border Patrol vehicles made me want to cry. I could see the desperation in some of their faces.
3 comments:
i've been hearing about the border patrol vigilantes and i find it totally horrifying. news about the border casualties always sadden me. that sounds like a loaded issue for you and dan the man hope you guys find a way to resolve it.
This is the man you're going to marry, right? Ok, you need to sit down and have a good talk with him about immigrants. He doesn't have to agree with you, just talk to him.
Thanks guys. I brought him the English version of the book I read. He started reading it so as soon as he finishes reading it, we're going to talk about it.
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