I am an immigrant. Most people who meet me for the first time probably automatically assume I am an immigrant. However, as a Korean adoptee who was born in Seoul, South Korea and came to the US when I was five months old, it has taken me a long time to understand and claim being an immigrant as an identity. I grew up without any Korean cultural or linguistic influences in my White family and have no meaningful connections to any Korean immigrant community in Minnesota or elsewhere, though I have tried at various times in my life to learn Korean and get involved with Korean cultural activities like drumming. I have always felt like an outsider in Korean (and Asian) American spaces in part because I lack shared experience with other Koreans (and Asians) about growing up with a familial or community story of recent or generational immigration.
And yet, I am an immigrant. Millions of us were born in another country and are currently living in the United States. We identify as documented or undocumented immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, New Americans/newcomers, Dreamers/DACA recipients, foreign-born workers and students, Green Card holders, naturalized citizens, international/transracial adoptees. We speak English fluently, with an accent, or not at all. We came here looking for better opportunities or to escape horrific situations in our home countries, or both. We assimilate fully into dominant mainstream America, or we can’t, or we don’t.
Do you see us? Do we belong here?
There are even more millions of us second and third generation immigrants who grew up watching our parents and grandparents struggle to find opportunity and belonging in America while also navigating the in-between-ness of being bi/multilingual and bi/multicultural. And of course, needless to say, unless we are 100% Indigenous/Native American, we have an immigration story in our family history.
The new presidential administration has stated its intentions around immigration, including mass deportations of undocumented and certain legal immigrants, ending birthright citizenship for children born in the US to undocumented immigrants, border and travel bans for certain groups of people, and the defunding of sanctuary cities. For some of us with immigration stories in our history, we do not currently feel a direct threat to our rights, freedom, or humanity. Yet, for so many of us, these are very, very real and terrifying threats to our existence.
How do we protect each other, regardless of our documentation status, country of origin, English speaking ability, or our immigration story?
Firstly, let’s reflect on our own identities and histories.
What do you know about your family’s history and their origins in the United States?
Growing up, what were you taught about immigrants and refugees in this country and in your community?
What do you know and what do you need to learn about the experiences of new immigrant families in your community in order to support all of your students?
What are your beliefs and biases regarding immigrants, refugees, and our system of immigration? (Who gets to come here? Who gets to live and work here? Who gets to become a U.S. citizen?)
What has been the impact of anti-immigrant sentiments on families and children in your community and state?
For the nation as a whole, undocumented immigrants made $59.4 billion in federal tax contributions and $37.3 billion in state and local tax contributions in 2022 through sales tax when making everyday purchases, property tax through their rents or on homes they own, and income taxes that are deducted from paychecks or paid during tax-filing season.
Undocumented immigrants in the U.S. pay 26.1 percent of their incomes in federal, state, and local taxes, similar to the rate that U.S. citizens with median incomes pay.
About 11 million undocumented immigrants lived in the United States as of 2022—3.3 percent of the country’s overall population. A one-time operation to deport these immigrants would cost at least $315 billion.
Mass deportation would exacerbate the U.S. labor shortage and hurt several key U.S. industries, including construction, agriculture, and hospitality.
Deporting undocumented immigrants would separate 4 million mixed-status families, affecting 8.5 million U.S. citizens with undocumented family members (5.1 million of whom are U.S. citizen children).
Third, let’s rally around and protect the most vulnerable in our immigrant communities: children.
Acknowledge that almost all of us are immigrants residing on stolen Native land.
Educate yourself on the common myths and facts about immigrants and immigration, and be prepared to dispel these myths when you hear them in your classroom or school community.
Be aware of the acute anxiety and fear some of your students may be experiencing if they and/or their families are recent and/or undocumented immigrants. As enforcement of immigration policies have become more aggressive and U.S. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids more common, students may worry about whether school is a safe place for them or worry about their families when they are apart.
Ensure that your school is a safe place for all immigrant students, regardless of status. The 1982 Supreme Court case Phlyer v. Doe ruled that undocumented children have a constitutional right to receive free, public K-12 education. You may have undocumented students in your class or school community, and they may not even know they are undocumented. You may also never know, but you must make sure the school is a safe community for them.
Provide a safe space for refugee students in your class. You may not know a student is a refugee, and families may not want to talk about it. The most important thing you can do is to provide students and families with a safe place.
Respect the experiences of your students when sharing books and stories with immigrants or refugees in them, and watch for any signs of stress. Don’t ever expect students to teach others and be a spokesperson about the immigrant or refugee experience.
Respect students’ home languages. You will likely have students in your classroom who speak a language other than English at home. It is also important to find ways to support your students’ home languages as an essential part of respecting their identities and integrating home culture into your classroom.
Consider how you will respond to your students’ questions and comments about immigration, especially if they come in the form of anti-immigrant microaggressions. Make sure that your responses send a message of safety and belonging to your immigrant and refugee students without shaming and blaming other students for their questions and comments.
Use books, videos, and stories to provide affirming counter narratives on immigration, immigrants, and refugees.
