Charles D. Lavine

Our future depends on immigrants

Posted

When I met Nelson Melgar, the only thing we thought united us was a shared concern for our community. We met by chance at an event at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, in Glen Cove, that drew parallels between the plight of Jewish children fleeing Nazi Germany before and during World War II, and the child migrant crisis the U.S. is currently facing.
Nelson had emigrated from Honduras with parents who were trying to escape poverty, and his family’s story resonated with my own. I trace my immigrant roots to Russia, Ukraine and Lithuania, and my grandparents came to the U.S. as Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution.
On the surface, the paths that brought us here could not have been more different, but we share more in our beliefs and our love of the U.S. than could ever have seemed possible. We both live and work in a state where diversity and inclusion are at the heart of the culture. And we’re united in our conviction that immigration is fundamental to the future of the U.S., economically, culturally and socio-politically.
Today, Nelson works on my staff, thanks to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a kind of administrative relief from deportation that also provides young immigrants like him with work permits. He is also the co-founding president of the North Shore Hispanic Civic Association.
His journey wasn’t an easy one. He grew up working long, hard hours on a coffee farm to provide for his family. When he was 13, his family made the painful decision to leave all they knew behind to come to the U.S. in search of a more prosperous life. Nelson progressed from not knowing English to taking honors and Advanced Placement classes in school. He earned a degree from Hunter College — working long hours to pay for it — and became an active member of the community.

Unfortunately, because the DACA program was created by an executive order issued by President Obama in 2012, Nelson’s work permit could be revoked at any time, which would leave him without the ability to work, pay taxes and continue to contribute to the only country he knows as home.
Immigration has been vital to this country throughout its history. As famine, war and persecution have punished populations around the world, the U.S. has provided refuge and opportunity to those who imagined a different future for their families. We are seen as a land of hope in which people can live the American dream.
In June, we celebrated Immigrant Heritage Month, when people like us were encouraged to explore our own traditions and reminded that we need a modern immigration system that embraces our strong immigrant heritage. We have seen leaders in business and politics, of all backgrounds, support comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship. It is time we stand with them and demand the same for our friends, family members, colleagues and neighbors.
When my family first came here, they suffered injustices stemming from misguided hatred. I remember how, as a young boy, I had to collect our mail at the post office because my grandmother was terrified of the postman. Her brother had been killed because he had dared to ice skate in an area where Jews were prohibited. She was terrified of the government.
As a state assemblyman, I take great care to honor my family’s sacrifices, and work to make our government the just and inclusive government that they, sadly, never knew.
There is no question that immigration has made the U.S. the country it is today. Immigrants invigorate our economy, enrich our culture, energize our cities and strengthen our communities. Today, however, we are living in a time of fear that has fueled a misguided resistance to immigration.
Rather than deporting hardworking immigrants like Nelson, we must consider the need for change with equanimity. Nativism and fear are not the way forward. The deportation of, at the very least, 11 million undocumented immigrants would be a national disaster of the highest order, destroying families, crippling our economy and fraying the social fabric in every corner of our nation. We need to bring those millions of undocumented immigrants out of the shadows by giving them the opportunity to apply for permanent legal status, and to continue to encourage highly skilled entrepreneurs around the world to study at our schools, start businesses here, innovate and lead.
In this time of division and rancor, we must move past our petty differences and instead look to the unifying qualities that make us uniquely American to help us face the crises of our time. The world looks to us for leadership. Imagine what we could do if we all worked together for a better future.

New York State Assemblyman Charles D. Lavine represents the 13th District and chairs the Assembly Ethics Committee.