Who Deserves To Be Here

To the editor:

I want to start by saying that I am disgusted by how people chose to interpret my story/letter in last week’s newspapers. I do not support the release of those men who committed such an atrocious crime. I applaud the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department for their work in bringing justice to the memory of Viviana. I have never and will never have anything against local law enforcement.

What I do have issues with is how federal agents seem to take priority over local law in some parts of this country. It’s just unfortunate that during the operation my father who was living his life, having moved on from a mistake over five years ago, was caught in the middle of everything that transpired that day. So many people missed my point; so many people believe I was attacking the people who are defending the good people of this county from actual criminals.

Was my father undocumented, yes my father was an undocumented immigrant who worked within this country for 20 years, just like anyone else who contributes to this country. My father and many people in this county who are undocumented contribute so much to our community, yet they are treated as second-class individuals. Do we truly believe that all of these people are criminals out for you? Do you believe that the man who cuts your grass, the woman who cleans your home, the child who goes to school are unworthy of the same liberties we take for granted?

So many arguments are made against these people, and one of these is “These illegals are taking our jobs.” Who exactly is more responsible for the lack of jobs? Is it the immigrant who wants to provide for their family, to put food on the table, to put money in the pocket of their landlord? Or is it the employer who, in an attempt to cut costs, would rather employ cheaper labor than yours?

The immigrant works for less because that’s all that is offered, and the employer knows this. They know that these immigrants would do anything possible to keep their job, to keep feeding their families, to stay in this country. Many people struggle every day everywhere you look, and the ones causing those issues would much rather you look left and right than look up and see them getting rich off exploitation.

Was it not written at the very founding of this nation, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”?

How are we expected to live these rights if they are now more of a privilege? One can’t live their life without healthcare; one can’t enjoy liberty if they are constantly threatened by loss of job, home, and food. One cannot pursue happiness if they can’t wake up every morning and know what they are worth. What possible difference does it make how someone got into this nation, where they contribute all and get nothing in return for their work?

Open your eyes and look beyond your own life. Each and every person should have the right to live the life they wish to live, and there are people who would rather take advantage of you than make an honest dollar. Who earns more money from the labor of the undocumented person or the labor of the American? It is not he who does the work but rather he who allows them to work.

Let me say this: work is a right, not a privilege. If someone wants to work and is able to work, they should have the right to earn a living for themselves and their family. When the exploiters look over their ivory tower down at the downtrodden masses, they don’t see suffering and despair; they see an opportunity to enrich themselves further by taking advantage of the need to survive.

Undocumented people aren’t the issue here; it is the people who take advantage of the system to enrich themselves further and further. The migrant and the American are two sides of the same coin. The coin then, in turn, is taken and stuffed into the fat pockets of whoever chose to employ the cheaper labor first. It’s not smart business; it’s exploitation, which is the only word I can think of to properly explain what this is.

All the people of this county and nation deserve better, and once you can look past the color of your fellow man and see the true value of their character, then you can talk to me about who deserves to be here and who doesn’t.

Juan Aguado Guerrero La Grange