Immigration: What hurts one hurts us all

Immigration is about families — children and parents, workers and worshipers, neighbors and friends.

The PACT: People Acting in Community Together immigration team feels like family. We work together for immigration reform, and over the years we have developed strong bonds.

This debate is often centered on economics and politics, but the consequences of this broken system fall on families. Immigration reform is good for the economy. According to the North American Integration and Development Center, Administrative Relief — President Obama’s executive action — will bring in new federal tax revenue of over $2.6 billion in two years, not counting what will go to individual states. It will increase the GDP, decrease the federal deficit and increase average wages.

The two of us represent different perspectives on immigration: one, a mother eligible for Administrative Relief and the other, an African-American engineer born in the United States. Our stories may seem different, but our conclusion is the same: People need a pathway to citizenship so families can live with dignity.

Last week, San Jose City Council joined the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in filing an amicus brief to support the executive orders, underscoring how important this is to us locally. We’re proud of Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren’s defense of the president’s action because, although it’s not permanent protection, it is relief families deserve.

I am Maria, a mother of four who has lived in San Jose for 13 years. Nothing is more important to me than family.

I came to the United States as a young mother because where I lived in Mexico was so very dangerous that I could not see a future for my children. My husband, the oldest of his siblings, is the only one who did not get documents when his father immigrated. If I could have immigrated formally I would have done so, but no opportunity existed. Instead, we work hard, contribute through taxes and in our community and take no government benefits.

I am proud to see my children thriving. The two oldest are in college, benefiting from the Dream Act, and the younger ones, who were born here, are working toward that goal. I teach religious classes in my church, volunteer in my children’s schools and work part time. My husband has worked for the same construction company since we’ve lived in San Jose. I am among the 118,000 people in Santa Clara County without documents or certainty of our future.

I am Greg, an American citizen who grew up in a large family. I can’t imagine living with the fear that the government could take a member of my family away. Our immigration policies pay little regard to the benefits of keeping families intact and dehumanize us all by treating immigrants like criminals.

My father was a first-generation American and a World War II veteran. His father immigrated in the early 1900s. Back then, most people came here through a port of entry, like Ellis Island, and got in line to be processed. No documents, no family ties, and no employment contracts were needed. Today, no such opportunity exists.

Like all families, we fight for each other because what hurts one member hurts us all. The Santa Clara Valley is an extension of this family, a community of people from all over the world. The solution is not about where we have come from, but our future together.