The United States is often called a melting pot, but the signing of Arizona’s new immigration bill by governor Jan Brewer on April 23 has forced me to question the meaning of this term. I don’t want to be biased on this issue, but I feel compelled to speak as a foreign student in the U.S. with a student visa. I’m eligible to stay here in order to study, in pursuit of my dream to return to my home in Kenya and help uplift my country with the combination of my Western education and my African cultural values.

There is a battle in the U.S. today against those who are helping Arizona achieve a place among the most progressive states in the country. They are often called “illegal immigrants,” but I challenge this phraseology; they too work hard in developing the state’s economy. Citizens of Arizona, are you truly ready to carry your own garbage? Will you not need these immigrants for your house to be neat and clean? Will you not need them to serve you in restaurants? Do you think they have no good to offer? Will you not need them to help care for your farm? Are they not also human beings who deserve to be treated with respect? How often do we stop to consider what these immigrants contribute to the state of Arizona?

I ask Arizonians to rethink Senate Bill 1070. This legislation suggests a future for the state that is hauntingly comparable to Apartheid in South Africa in the 1990s. It is completely inhumane for the police to stop someone on the road because their foreign accent or the color of their skin could reveal that he or she is an illegal immigrant. Moreover, such a policy will only heighten tension and animosity between law enforcement and the public. I am certain that this law will not be received well by open-minded citizens, and will function only to encourage racial profiling and hatred.

Governor Brewer, I plea with you to revoke the Bill. It’s not too late. We have all made mistakes, but repeating a mistake is a disaster, and there are surely other solutions towards solving current issues surrounding immigration. This is not a one-sided process; you need the support of the Mexican people. Together, these two countries may work towards a truly effective, lasting, long-term solution.
The United States has forgotten its glory. It was once the only country in the world that opened its door to all immigrants. Throughout its history, America has gained far more from immigrants than what it has lost. The United States has enjoyed its status as a global super power only because of the ways in which the diversity of its people have contributed to its success.
And so, I have a simple question to ask all of those who are in support of SB 1070—what would have happened if your great grandparents from Europe were denied access to enter the United States? What might have happened if the police were screening for them, because they couldn’t speak English, and because they “looked foreign”? Do you think you would be where you are now?
Why, then, do we continue to deny immigrants who come to the United States a better future, just as your great-grandparents had once sought for themselves? These immigrants are not taking your jobs; they are doing the jobs that you don’t want to do. They don’t have the same education as many Americans, and so they don’t even have the option to truly compete in the market. So what is the real problem? They just want to have a better future for their children, just the same way your great-grandparents worked hard in America for you to have a better life.

I have been in this country for two years now, and I firmly believe that this nation cannot function without its immigrants. They are the backbone of the economy. I have not used the word “illegal” to describe them, because I believe such a term is used only to undermine others. No one is illegal, and no one is legal—we are all human beings. We all need each other for the universe to function. If the term “illegal” does exist, then it applies to nearly all people living in the United States today; if this land truly belongs to anyone, it is to the American Indians.

Our origins define and unite us as Americans. President Obama’s father came from Kenya. I come from the same community as him; we are part of the ethnic community that is known as Luo. And that is why our names share the letter “O.”
I hope that we may all consider where we came from, and the ties we share with others, before making any major decision in our lives.