I have been declared “undesirable.” The wrong kind of immigrant. Born in the “sh..hole” country of Haiti, according to our current president. As a 25-year resident of Holmes and Wayne counties in Ohio, a business owner, investor, and employer, I decided to evaluate my net contributions as an immigrant.
I became a US citizen in 1994. I was able to locate all but two of my income tax returns since 1992. I have always been a net payer to the Treasury. Interestingly, in 1994, as new graduates and parents two under two, my husband and I could not afford the taxes we owed. My ever-generous in-laws used one month of their retirement income to settle the $2,515 tax bill. I have since paid hundreds of thousands in taxes and just last year $25,193 in Ohio property taxes alone.
Not quite enough to buy a “Golden ticket Green card,” but tallying cumulative business taxes and insurances, jobs created, charitable contributions, services provided through local safety net clinics, volunteer hours, loans diligently paid back with interest over the past 25 years, I conclude I am no less a Buckeye and American than 14th amendment legacy immigrants.
Interestingly, our American First Lady is an immigrant, and our Second Lady is the daughter of immigrants. Immigrants are the most driven people of their respective countries, aiming for success through arduous work and entrepreneurship. They are no different than your ancestors, willing to risk lives for an America that did not belong to them nor to those European countries fighting to claim it. The Land already had owners. Many of today’s migrants pay into the system, but due to their status, are prevented by government from using the upward mobility ladder. Quite ofte,n youthful infractions that cost citizens a slap on the hand block immigrants from advancing their case to citizenship even after a long productive adulthood. The recent deportation of Boudylam Simmavanh from Orrville is an odious example of this broken system.
Many of today’s hopefuls are by large percentile of their DNA descendants of the original owners of the Americas. They are the real Americans of Amerigo Vespucci’s New World. If given the opportunity to rectify their situation or that of their children, they would make the country even greater. As I write, people who came here legitimately are declared illegal by a stroke of another pen. This pejorative label is an attempt to force them into reverse migration. Work permits are revoked; student visas are removed halfway through expensive training. Humans are being trampled under while down. If one immigrant commits a crime, all immigrants from non-white countries are immediately declared guilty. In fact, immigrants—including undocumented immigrants—are less likely to commit crimes than the U.S.-born. This is true at the national, state, county, and neighborhood levels, and for both violent and non-violent crime.
As far as Haitians are concerned, you are asking them to choose life versus death. Haiti has no government. It has a questionable USA-approved 9-member council established to agree with American desires and policies, which is allowing total country destruction. The real government is the gangs who get their power from the free-flowing American-made machine guns and ammunition which, the same USA blowing tiny boats out of the vast oceans, is somehow unable to stop. Today, gangs have evolved from mafia style activities. They kidnap, rape, and kill indiscriminately. The Haitian military cannot help. The USA played a key role in dismantling it in 1995. I have had nine members of my immediate family kidnapped. I know too many who were killed or raped.
Haitian immigrants dutifully send life-sustaining remittances to the millions displaced and starving “back home.” Who chooses to go back to that? Who then will send money for food, school, and medicines? Adding insult to injury, the USA has banned most flights into the country due to safety concerns. I used to visit my 98-year-old mother four times a year. Now it takes a pricey week of travel and some scary helicopter rides for a quick once a year visit . Long standing programs that benefited Haitians have been suspended by the United States. This includes issuing the type of student visa that got me here in the first place. For the record, I had no intention of immigrating. I went back to live in Haiti for 6 years after becoming a dentist. My education was paid for by my retirement-age father selling the house his parents had left him in Haiti. Both my parents at one time, held American medical licenses but chose to live in Haiti and raise their 11 children. Today, most of my nephews and nieces are scattered around the globe by necessity. They would have preferred to stay home.
As an American voter, I contacted my representative with my concern about the treatment of immigrants and of being classified a lesser citizen on the account of my national origin. I know exactly what I am made of. As a descendant of slaves abused by slave owners, I took a DNA test. I am 25% African, 4% Ashkenazi Jewish (my only recent ancestry), 37 % Hispanic (Spain and Portugal), a drop of Native American, and the rest assorted European. I have only heard back from one politician so far. His answer is short: This is an executive branch issue and if ever legislation on such a matter were presented to me, I would take your concerns into consideration.
I still believe in our system of governance. Three years will go by with many innocent people victimized. As a group, immigrants will win like your own ancestors. President Trump needed to bring order to the borders. He has done so and should move on to more important matters. Persecution of non-violent migrants who work extremely hard and are net payers (versus takers) into the Treasury is downright petty. They perform countless essential, often invisible tasks that keep the economy going. Those who dare file taxes and disclose home addresses are taxed at a flat 30% federal rate with no deductions no matter their income. Others who show up to routing immigration appointments are snatched and deported extrajudicially. Americans should not tolerate nor praise such actions.
If President Trump and Secretary Noem stay the current course, the tide will turn in favor of the opposing party. Ohio’s rising star, VP JD Vance may become the biggest political loser. For the record, I am an independent voter who mostly votes on issues and not along party lines. Sometimes I choose not to vote at all.
20% of health care workers in the United States are foreign-born. Among home health aides, 41% are foreign-born. Physicians and surgeons: 26% are foreign-born. Nurses and nursing assistants: 20%. Dentists: 22% are foreign-born. 86 percent of agricultural workers in the United States are foreign-born and 45 percent of all US agricultural workers are undocumented.(8)
Today, I propose the organization of a nation-wide one-week immigrant strike to show our collective worth. There would be specific instructions for the native born NOT to join in the strike. They may support with food or gift-in-kind to the most vulnerable immigrants. I call for a national organization to promote and ask anyone in the United States not born here to stay home for one designated week and if they own a business to close it for that week. Immigrants should buy nothing during those 7 days. With good participation, the military may have to milk cows, slaughter chicken, harvest produce, change underwears in nursing homes and even perform complex medical surgeries. 60% of hotels would close and so would 1/3 of restaurants.
We are WORTHY!
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Opinion. I have been declared undesired Immigrant, I am not
Reporting by Myriam Raber, DDS / The Daily Record
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