With a national debate raging over the millions of immigrants who live among us illegally, it only makes sense that Queens weigh in on the question. Queens is the face of the immigrant issue. Nowhere is the diversity of immigrants more prevalent than within our borders. The Immigrant Issue is one filled with discussions of legal vs. illegal, amnesty vs. deportation, acceptance vs. denial – subjects that touch on all our lives no matter our ancestry, legal status, class or religion.
In this special edition we offer opinion, stories, plain facts and complicated explanations of a variety of subjects surrounding the immigrant issue. Like the immigrants who call Queens home, each story is just a small part of a bigger picture. Each piece will help explain one small part of the overall story of The Immigrant Issue, coming together to create an mosaic image as diverse as the faces that make up Queens but as cohesive as the borough in which we live.
Join us as we seek to understand what drives us, what makes us unique, what we fear, what we love and what we hope for.
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Queens Tribune.com
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Tribune Photo By Ira Cohen
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The Big Picture
We have read their stories, listened to their poetry, heard their music, tasted their food and danced with them. Immigrants are all around us, and they are not the stereotypes many in this country perceive them to be. They made this country, they built our homes, they continue to work hard in the hopes of providing better lives for their children and grandchildren.
However, beyond our kinship with them, we have also looked at the law. Those who illegally call this country home and those who have followed all the legal procedures often live similar lives but with one exception – the fear of being deported. We have not presented this special edition to draw a conclusion about immigration – illegal or otherwise. What we have sought to do here is to spread understanding, open some eyes to the lives that many do not see and to initiate a discussion of what the law is – and what it should be.
So take a step back and look at the big picture here. This is a country built strong by our immigrant parents and grandparents. We are a nation of compassion, a city of tolerance and a borough of diversity. We must be the starting point for the real conversation on The Immigrant Issue.
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